Written by: Jen McGahan | Content Boomer
Your company culture grows stronger when you maximize the marketing power of its most valuable resource.
Your employees could be your clearest competitive advantage if they become the kind of brand evangelist like the one I met last week on a Lyft ride.
I should tell you I usually take an Uber when I need a ride. For some reason, on the rainy first night of SXSW in Austin, I was having trouble finding one, so I downloaded the Lyft app instead.
Leaving the Austin Startup Crawl, I requested a ride to my car parked several blocks away. Within one minute, my ride showed up.
The short ride with my driver, Majid, not only got me where I wanted to go, but may have turned me into a customer for life.
What was so remarkable about those 5 minutes?
The ride sharing company’s friendly culture came through without any apparent “marketing.” (I’m a marketer, so I notice these things.)
Majid’s enthusiasm for Lyft made me curious to learn more about the company and how it got its driver to be so gosh darn happy about driving (and advertising) for them.
The million-dollar question is how does a company create this kind of loyalty within its ranks?
A strong culture, education, personalization, and empowerment.
Without much prompting, Majid shared why Lyft was superior to Uber, not for him, the driver and employee ; but for me, the consumer. He assured me that Lyft had quicker pick-up times and cheaper fares than Uber, even though there were more Uber drivers in town.
“Maybe its their ride matching algorithm or something like that… But you should always use Lyft,” he said.
Could you ask for a better brand advocate?
Who’d have thought ten years ago, that a woman would feel comfortable allowing a complete stranger to drive her in his car across town late at night? It’s not just the pretty pink app and carstache that instills confidence; it’s not even the community-building vibe the brand shows in its marketing, making cities feel smaller through ride sharing, etc.
It’s the loyalty of the employees that creates that sense of safety and trust in the service.
The company’s core values were on display, even though I didn’t know it at the time. Researching the company later, I discovered the phrases “Make it happen, Create fearlessly, Be yourself, and Uplift others” are Lyft maxims that contribute to its culture.
For example, when I mentioned the recent resignation of Uber’s design director in the wake of Uber’s recent rebranding fiasco, Majid said he thought Uber was distracted, trying to branch out into too many areas.
When I leaned forward and questioned the route he was taking (yes, I’m one of those) he slowed down, and reached toward his phone, zoomed in on his GPS, and verified the destination, putting me at ease that he knew where he was.
Besides obvious respect for the company, Majid seemed genuinely concerned about my sense of security, a consequence of the company’s apparent dedication to allowing their drivers to strengthen customer relationships as they see fit.
Indeed, it’s the company culture that elevates what would otherwise be called a taxi ride, into a pleasant and memorable experience that reflects well on the company.
If a company’s website tells me why I should take Lyft rides, customers may or may not believe it, but when the driver shares those same reasons while he’s in the act of delivering on the promise, they make a stronger impression.
In an article for Forbes, Ekaterina Walter describes how companies like Zappos and Starbucks empower their employees, and are rewarded with brand advocates who become trustworthy and enthusiastic spokespersons for their companies. Lyft seems to possess a similarly strong culture.
Can you create a sense of purpose for your company that is so clearly defined that every one of your employees can rally behind it?
My Lyft experience the other night made me realize that if your employees are also your greatest advocates, then your customers are in great hands.
As it turns out, Majid isn’t the only one who loves the company he drives for. Other employee ratings on Glassdoor are equally glowing.
So now I have both ride apps on my phone. Which one do you think I’ll use next time I need a lift?