Marriage is one of the most committed relationships you can have. For this relationship to thrive, you need to work at it every day not just date night. 

In a relationship, it’s the little, often ordinary, things that help you to grow stronger together. As Susan Saradon’s character Beverly Clark says about marriage, “Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness.”

Beyond checking in with each other during the day, it’s the small acts allow my husband and I to delight each other and make the relationship feel fresh. For example, I always surprise my husband with nut-free brownie from Zabars.

I make these points because I want you to figure out how to improve your communications and relationships with your audience, customers and employees. Like your family and friends they’re people and they want you to treat them that way. The social media research I analyzed last week proves this.

Anniversaries are one way to celebrate your audience and your business. Watchmaker IWC (aka: International Watch Company) provides a great example. (BTW, IWC has a great brand story having been started by an American.)

Like The Economist readers, IWC owners are like members of a secret club. They’re connected through their brand affinity. Every time my husband notices that someone’s wearing an IWC watch, they compare stories about their watches.

Even though my husband wasn’t in the market for a new watch, we recently visited IWC’s Madison Avenue store. They were celebrating their 150th anniversary.

Unlike other stores, IWC is like walking into a friend’s luxury apartment filled with inviting sofas and fresh flower arrangements. Beyond its watches, IWC’s showcases its collection of museum quality items that relate to their brand. 

To commemorate their 150^th Anniversary, IWC created a special logo and limited edition watches. According to Allen, the sales associate, who showed us around the store, these premium priced watches have already increased in value!​​​​​

Use these anniversary ideas to develop and deepen your audience, customer and employee relationships. 

• Remember customers’ birthdays and other occasions. Give them a special birthday greeting and offer. Or go offline and send them a card via the postal service.
  
  

• Celebrate your business’s anniversary with a special sale. My favorite knitting store, Knitty City, throws an anniversary party with cake and specials.
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• Create special communications to mark anniversaries or milestones.  Send a fun email marking the date they joined your list. Check out JetBlue’s wording: “A traditional first anniversary gift is paper – hello, plane ticket! But since you DID forget it was our anniversary, this trip’s on you. ☺”

Since June is a time of beginning and endings, what milestones are you celebrating in your personal life or business?

Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen

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