Fans want to support their teams regardless of where they are, or where their teams are playing. No matter if the person is tailgating, watching a game at home, or in the stands cheering the team on, the fan is there in the moment. Especially today, where everything is mobile and people can access information at any time, from any place, fans want the up-to-date information on their teams as it is happening. The critical point of this is that in today’s day and age, the fan is mobile and always on the go. This means the team – the company – has to meet them where they are.
Companies must be able to reach the customer at any time because customer experiences are not just in the store anymore. When a customer can engage with a company on social media channels, on their mobile phones, and leave reviews on the Internet, the customer is leaving a virtual paper trail for other potential customers to come across and leverage for themselves. It is the company’s job to make sure the customer has a pleasurable experience worth sharing.
Location, Location, Location
Some people cannot wrap their heads around tailgating and why anyone would go to a venue, but never step inside the doors of the actual event – only to watch it on a television screen. The loyal and dedicated fan wants to be there and have a special experience, even if that means not actually being inside the premises. In fact, it makes it more special. Tailgaters get to create their own personalized experiences of watching a game, enjoying conversation, choosing what to eat or drink, and deciding when to come and go. The fact that a tailgate is done out of the back of a car should be no shock. Everything today is mobile, easily accessible, and ready to go on the fly. Companies need a similar kind of agility in order to satisfy customers in real time.
The idea of tailgating is no different than a customer wanting to support a brand or a business, even when not directly inside the doors of that company. If the customer is wearing a particular line of clothing, takes advantage of a specific service, or repeatedly uses a particular product, a company wants the customer to flaunt it, tweet about it, and Instagram it. Going into the store, using a particular airline, or shopping online is like game day – it gives a customer an experience worth reliving and coming back for.
Tailgating is everything else. Writing reviews, using social media to “Like” a company on Facebook, wearing the clothes, using the products – all of these things are acts of showing support for a company, even when not directly engaged with it. The customers have left the store, but are still fans.
Everywhere, Everywhere, Everywhere
Since everything is mobile and accessible in the moment, a company must be able to provide updates, personalized offers, and notifications in real time as well. If fans can receive notices immediately when something newsworthy happens to their favorite teams, customers should expect a similar promotional email or discount notification on their phone before they leave a store. These kinds of experiences will keep the customer coming back, and tailgating long after they are gone.
A company used to see a customer when they walked into the store or used a service, and the customer would disappear again until they returned back to the store. In the 21st century, this is no longer the case. Word of mouth has spread to the word of the Internet, and the word of the mobile phone. Now a customer can tailgate and be a brand supporter without ever stepping foot into a store. Game day is now every day, everywhere.
If you want your customers tailgating your company and want to turn customers into fans, read our whitepaper.
