How to tell your customers your products are getting worse

Worse? You know… more expensive, smaller, less comprehensive. The changes you’ve had to make to stay profitable since inflation, shortages, and all that pandemic nonsense tasered your groin.

Here’s how not to do it:

This is what the National Lottery emailed me a few years ago to explain how they’ve increased the amount of numbers in their draw. They tried to make it sound like a benefit, and not a way for them to lower the odds of my winning chances.

It’s a load of balls, literally. Certainly not the winning ticket for keeping your customers happy. Don’t do this. I cancelled my direct debit after reading this, in fact.

How should you communicate bad news to your customers then smart arse copywriter man?

I’ll tell you in a second as I’m still too shaky from that taser mishap.

Right….

Show respect, authenticity and transparency. Give credit to people’s intelligence.

For example, I worked with a hotel group recently as they refurbished a new hotel. We developed a plan to launch a large scale PR offensive, alongside a content marketing strategy that would build a buzz, and warm up the local community to the idea of new owners at a local landmark.

At some point, the refurbishment plans fell behind.

That meant the grand opening wasn’t going to be as grand as first planned, and a second round of refurbishment would take place just in time for the spring and summer tourist season.

The solution? A gentle PR push, that led to this kind of coverage: Expansion plans ahoy!

When their disabled access had to be shut down, which wasn’t ideal, a quick blast across the local Facebook groups with plenty of genuine apologies did the trick, and even led to an uptick in bookings.

Get personal, but not in the hen night row kind of way.

My local dairy saw a major boost in demand when everyone decided they wanted fresh milk delivered during lockdown. Which was great, except they’re constantly struggling to recruit, train and keep delivery drivers. The attrition rate has led to missed deliveries, wrong orders, and billing errors. Not great for business.

How we won heart and minds.

This was the first non-digital project I’ve worked at since I did a wall story thing for a coffee shop (still not seen it, but it was a story about goats and magic beans and it’s on a poster in a cafĂ© chain in Norfolk).

I suggested it might be best if this dairy delivered an actual letter, placed between milk bottles, to every property on the round. Old school. You know, connect with people on the doorstep.

A state of the nation address to milk drinkers. A message about small businesses and everyone’s struggles. etc….

So far, the milk delivery team are still dealing with getting the right people to stick around, but the customers have stuck around.

Let’s spin hard times into exciting content. Get in touch.