So On Brand, Episode 4
TL;DR
- Consistency comes from a lot of small decisions that make every touchpoint feel connected.
- The experience around a product or service is what makes the price feel right.
- A short list of offers, done really well, tells people exactly what to hire you for.
- Small, generous touches get attention without a big budget.
Earlier this month, I tagged along on my husband Chris’s work trip to New York City while my mom held down the fort with the kids. Since it wasn’t a work trip for me, I spent a few days exploring on my own, walking a ton, eating all the fun things, and seeing Chicago on Broadway with Reece from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (so fun!). I didn’t go looking for podcast material, but I came home with a handful of lessons about brand experience for small businesses, and I wanted to share every one of them with you.
In this episode
- [00:00] Why a non-work trip turned into podcast material
- [01:10] Lex Yard and why consistency comes down to small decisions
- [03:12] A touchpoint test to run this week
- [04:14] The Jellycat Diner and how the experience makes a price feel right
- [06:49] What it feels like when a client receives your finished work
- [08:17] Los Tacos No. 1 and doing a few things really well
- [09:21] The street team that got me to walk into a store
- [10:57] BonBon and the little extras that build fans
- [11:44] Good Company of the Week: Argosy Book Store
- [13:16] What your space says about your business
Consistency is a lot of small decisions (Lex Yard)
We had dinner at Lex Yard, the restaurant inside the Waldorf Astoria, and from the moment we walked into the hotel, everything fit. The 1920s decor, the menus, the service and the food all had the same feel.
Upstairs, they’d set up a US Open activation with screens playing the matches, ping pong tables and pillows, all with that same old-school glamour. Staff greeted us at the door with champagne from a brand that partnered on the event. My book club recently read Unreasonable Hospitality, and even though the chef at Lex Yard isn’t connected to the book, the night showed the same idea: people notice when a business goes the extra mile on service.
Once you start looking for that kind of cohesiveness, you can feel when someone has taken the time to make all the little decisions. Some of those decisions aren’t the fun part of running a business, and they’re probably not why you started. When the pieces don’t connect, though, people quietly start to wonder if one person is running things or if anyone is talking behind the scenes. Trust is a lot easier to build and keep than it is to earn back.
Try this week: the touchpoint test
Pull up the last few touchpoints you’ve had with new leads and lay them side by side.
- Does it sound like the same person wrote all of it?
- Do the signatures and business information match?
- If you sent a guide, do the images feel cohesive with your website and social media?
If things don’t line up, give those pieces a little more attention before you start thinking about a rebrand. This trip had me asking the same questions about my own processes and marketing. If your images are the piece that doesn’t match, Episode 2 is all about making the most of the content you already have.
The part I take comfort in is that a brand gets built from a lot of decisions. You get to experiment, see what fits, and adjust as you go, especially when you’re building something from the ground up.
How the experience shapes the price (Jellycat Diner)
Earlier that same day, I had some time to myself and went to FAO Schwarz, the giant toy store that spans multiple levels and takes up an entire city block. Inside, they had the Jellycat Diner. If you have a teen or tween girl, you already know Jellycats: soft plush toys shaped like everything from a soccer ball to an edamame bean (the edamame is what my little one requested).
Jellycat built a diner right inside the toy store, with a menu of diner-themed stuffed animals. It cost more than I’d normally think to pay for a stuffy, but I wanted to record the experience and bring it home to my kids. So picture a grown woman with Meta glasses on and zero children, ordering at a stuffed-animal diner. I had so much fun!
The extras are what made it worth the money. They made custom stickers with my kids’ names, gave me a little custom pin and adorable packaging, and said the girls’ names out loud while they flipped the stuffed pizza in the air and made the stuffed burger. Jellycat took a product people already love, made it exclusive, and turned buying it into an event. By the time I walked out, the price that made me wince felt completely fair.
What this means for your pricing
Thinking about raising your prices? Start by asking what it feels like to receive what you already offer, before you add anything new.
Look closely at the moment a client receives the finished work or product. Is it a download link in an email, or does it feel made for them? Small touches go a long way here:
- A personal note or a favorite moment from working together
- A next-steps email. After a session, I send one that covers what to expect over the next few weeks, when photos and videos will arrive, and what we can do in the future.
These are small, inexpensive decisions, and they change how clients perceive your price. Ask great questions, then make whatever you deliver feel like it was made for that person, their business, or their family.
Doing a few things really well (Los Tacos No. 1)
Not everything on my trip required a big budget. One of my favorite spots in New York is Los Tacos No. 1 in Chelsea Market. The menu is so simple: a handful of tacos (beef, pork, chicken) plus chips with guac or salsa. That’s it. (If you go, get the steak and chicken tacos with everything on top. Chef’s kiss!)
They do a small number of things really, really well. For service providers trying to offer all the things to everyone, that short menu is a good reminder that you can let some of it go. A shorter list means you get better at the same work over and over, and people know exactly what to hire you for.
Small, generous marketing still gets noticed (a street team in the Village)
While I was walking around the Village, a girl came up to me like she needed to ask a question. She handed me a really nice bag with a water bottle, some printed materials and a keychain, then told me about free coffee at their coffee truck and the new store that had just opened down the street. I didn’t need a bag or a water bottle, but it still made me stop, pay attention, and walk into their store. They didn’t ask for anything in return… and in New York, where nobody really talks to anybody, it caught me off guard in the most fun way.
This kind of marketing costs very little beyond a few giveaways and the time to stand outside. For a business with a physical location or a busy neighborhood, it’s a fun way to let people know where you are. Everyone else can pick one small, useful thing to hand out at a local event or send to their email list, something that shows people who you are and who you serve before you ever ask them to book or buy.
Little extras that turn customers into fans (BonBon)
Down in Chelsea, I stopped into BonBon, a candy shop with an unassuming storefront and a maximalist inside (I even took a picture of the floral fabric benches). They handed me a scoop and let me pick any candy I wanted, so naturally I loaded up on gummy bears and sour gummy worms.
At checkout, they gave me a free chocolate bar. Later, when I posted about them on social media, they shared it and thanked me for coming in. Little extras like that make people feel special, valued and appreciated, and those are the people who turn into big fans.
Good Company of the Week: Argosy Book Store
This week’s Good Company feature is Argosy Book Store, my favorite experience of the trip. It isn’t in Indianapolis, but anyone who loves books should put it on their New York list.
Argosy is a multi-story rare book and print shop on East 59th Street. Louis Cohen opened it in 1925, and his family still runs it 100 years later. You don’t hear about that very often anymore.
I spent well over an hour inside looking at antique maps, first editions, cover after cover of old Fortune and New Yorker magazines, and books from the 1600s that looked like they’d turn to dust if I touched them. Upstairs, the prints were organized by subject in huge books (maps of Manhattan, plants and flowers, sports, pretty much anything you can think of), and staff helped pull prints off the shelves. I came home with a New Yorker cover for my office. The place smells amazing too, like all the old books in the world.
Visit: Argosy Book Store, 116 East 59th Street, New York, NY | argosybooks.com
What your space says about your business
Look around at what you keep on your shelves, in your office and on your walls. The environment you create says almost as much about you as your website does, so when clients come into your space, you want it to feel on brand for you, too.
Where to start with brand experience for your small business
Pick one touchpoint to work on this week. Run the touchpoint test on your last few lead emails, or walk through what a client receives at the end of working with you, and make one small change so it feels more like you. Brand experience for small businesses works the same way it does for the big brands, just on a smaller scale. Consistency doesn’t happen by accident at any size, and somebody has to keep choosing it. I’m working on mine this week too, so tell me what you find!
Frequently asked questions
What is a brand activation?
A brand activation is a live event or experience a company creates so people can interact with the brand in person. The US Open setup upstairs at Lex Yard, with matches on screens, ping pong tables and a champagne welcome, is one example.
Do these ideas work for a business without a storefront?
Yes. The touchpoint test, a short list of offers, and a thoughtful delivery experience all apply to service-based and online businesses. A helpful freebie sent to your email list can do the same job as a street team handing out bags.
What is So On Brand?
So On Brand is a podcast from Kelli White, an Indianapolis-based strategic content partner. It’s the show where Kelli dives into what makes brands and businesses stand out and get noticed, from branding and content to events, local businesses and AI.
When do new episodes come out?
New episodes of So On Brand drop every Tuesday. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Acast.
Places and resources mentioned
- Lex Yard at the Waldorf Astoria
- Jellycat Diner at FAO Schwarz
- Los Tacos No. 1
- BonBon candy shop, Chelsea
- Argosy Book Store
- Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Listen and subscribe
Catch every episode of So On Brand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Acast, and come say hi on Instagram at @kelliwhitecreative.
Want help making your content feel this connected? Let’s plan your content.
Kelli White is an Indianapolis-based strategic content partner for women-owned businesses across the northside, including Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville and Zionsville. She creates photo, video and content strategy that helps businesses show up consistently, and So On Brand is her podcast about brands and the businesses behind them.
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