Have you ever landed on a website, watched a video, or a read an about page, lean back in your chair and say, “Wow. I like these guys. This is the kind of business I can support.” I have, and during their first Kickstarter Campaign, Litographs captured my imagination through their memorable product journey.
If you’re unsure who Litographs is, it’s a company that produces posters, t-shirts, and temporary tattoos, all of which surround literature. That’s right, they’re the cool cats that place the entire text from the books you love on to shirts and posters – you may have seen them out and about before.
They’ve come a long way since their first Kickstarter Campaign, produced new product lines, and expanded their existing ones. Despite this, their approach towards their product journey remains the same, and it’s one of my favourite examples. An example I believe you and me alike can benefit from.
I’d like to share three elements with you that show how Litographs offer their product journey in a way that captures their customers attention – and in my opinion, a large reason why they’ve developed an ever growing and enthusiastic fan-base. Your own product journey may differ to theirs, but you can take a lot of inspiration from how they approach things.
CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMER ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL
We’ll look at their fantastic Kickstarter Campaigns soon, but before we do, let’s turn attention to their About Page – and a video that showcases a particular type of product journey: how they make their t-shirts.
However, although this focusses on just one of their products, it’s an approach that crosses their product journey as a whole. It surrounds their ability to connect with their customer on an emotional level, but I’ll let you watch the video for yourself before we move on.
Although only 60 seconds long, this video creates an instant impact with their customer. The folk who adore Litographs are those who love literature and books. They’re the type of person who takes great pride in their bookshelves, and dare I say, have fond memories of reading as a child.
A book that remains close to the heart of millions… Alice in Wonderland.
In his sultry tones, the narrator reads a short snippet from Alice in Wonderland, a passage familiar to many. A passage many people hold dear. The type of passage that conjures up lovely memories, and these memories suddenly became entwined with Litographs.
[Tweet “”A conversation begins. In marketing, this is what it’s all about.””]
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Within 60 seconds, those who watch this video – and those who love books – become immersed in Litographs and their product journey. They want to know more. They need more. A conversation begins, and when it comes to marketing this is what it’s all about.
The fact this video shows the process behind the product journey, how they make these shirts, and what they look like is a bonus. These t-shirts look fantastic, after all, but it’s Litographs ability to connect with their customers emotions (in a matter of seconds) that’s the true gem to take from all this.
It’s what hooked me in the first place, which brings us to their first Kickstarter Campaign.
STIMULATE YOUR CUSTOMERS SENSES
Ever heard of the saying, ‘you eat first with your eyes‘?
Our senses intermingle with one another, so when you approach your product journey, it isn’t about mere sight or sound, but feel, taste, and smell, too. Your aim is to stimulate your customers senses, because if you achieve this you’re sure to keep their attention.
One of the main reasons I love crowdfunding is how it forces the creator (in this case, Litographs) to involve their audience on a deep and meaningful level (more on this later). Sight and sound are the obvious senses to focus on for an online campaign, and if you peek into Litographs t-shirt campaign, you’ll notice lots of images and a fantastic video.
Sound and Sight… Check!
But what about touch, taste, and smell? How do you stimulate these senses through an online product journey?
In many ways you can’t, or can you…? You don’t literally eat with your eyes after all, but it doesn’t mean your sight isn’t tickled when a delicious dish sits beneath you. Litographs may be unable to actually spark their customers touch, taste, and smell through their website and Kickstarter Campaigns, but are they able to give them a nudge? Of course!
The image of dripping paint halfway down this page… you can practically smell it and feel it between your fingertips.
When they show close ups of the posters and t-shirts, you can almost feel the grooves that the words create. Or smell the ink from old books that house Alice’s stories. Or taste the musky tones of an old print factory… book shop… and the like…
You may not literally be able to stimulate all your customers senses throughout your product journey, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tickle them along the way. Even if you hit a mere three or four, that’s better than one or two. In my opinion, Litographs do a fine job of reaching out and touching their customers, as well as stirring their emotions.
They do this by connecting with them and involving them, which brings us to our final point.
LITERALLY INVOLVE THEM IN YOUR PRODUCT JOURNEY
Litograph’s most recent product line, Temporary Tattoos, also came to life via a Kickstarter Campaign, but has since taken on a whole new being.
Their Tattoo Chain literally involves their customers (folk like you and me) in their product journey – not just the temporary tattoo product, but the collective product/service that Litographs offer.
Because they involve their customers in this manner, these tattoos become more than a product, they become an extension of the person. Because of this, Litographs humanises their brand, which makes connecting with their customers on an emotional level far easier.
As you may realises, these three elements we’ve covered link with one another. Mastering one aids in another, which means Litographs continue to go from strength-to-strength-to-strength.
Of course, there are other benefits to involving your customers like this, such as its relevance on social media, social sharing, and general virality. But the true game-changer is in the act of literally involving them, because they become invested, committed, and true to your cause.
You may hear a lot about brands involving their customers in their stories these days, but a lot of the time it’s fluff and meaningless. It’s a typical marketing ploy that often falls short of the point. This, on the other hand, is a true example of a brand involving their customer in a real manner. After all, Litographs need their customers. Without them, what would they be? What would they have to sell?
Not a great deal, and somewhere along the way Danny and co realised this, appreciated this, and made a conscious decision to work with their VIP’s instead of simply selling to them.
YOU TOO CAN SHARE YOUR PRODUCT JOURNEY LIKE LITOGRAPHS
I don’t care who you are or what product you produce, you too can share your product journey like this. It may look different to Litographs. You may not be able to involve your customer in the same way. Your video may look different, or you may not use a video at all.
Yours shouldn’t look like Litographs, because this is YOUR product journey; ensure it stays true to who you are.
But are you trying to tell me you can’t connect with your customer on an emotional level? Or stimulate their senses? Or involve them in the actual process?
The constant through all this is YOUR CUSTOMER, and Litographs appreciate how important these folk are, and if their product journey is to work, it needs to work with them. So, however you wish to share your product journey and your overall brand story, take a step back and ask:
- What do they love?
- What will create havoc in their brains and bombard them with fond memories?
- How can I show them… make them feel, touch, see, smell, and hear the entire time?
- How can I involve them – not in some meaningless manner, but literally involve them?
Litographs have several product lines today, and I’m sure more in the pipeline. Their product journey isn’t about any one product, rather their collective service and how they connect with their customer. By putting these fine people first, Litographs are able to grow, improve, and evolve.
They’re in collaboration, which is a fine way to look at your business-customer dynamic, if you ask me.
What says you? What are your thoughts on Litographs and their product journey? I’d love to hear your opinions and questions, so be sure to reach out to me on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.
TURNDOG
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