Twenty years ago, when I was five years old, I joined the seventy-five percent of Americans who require prescription eyewear. Each year, I wasted many hours of my parent’s life trying to find the “perfect” pair of glasses. Because I was incredibly picky and my parent’s patience was incredibly small, eyeglass shopping was a nightmare. To top it off, my eyesight was so bad that when I tried on the model frames at the store, I couldn’t see well enough to know if I liked the frame or not. Then, in my last year of High School, my mom discovered Warby Parker. Game changer. I’m pretty sure Warby Parker was able to add a few years to mine and my parent’s life. The whole experience made everything less stressful and more affordable. Warby Parker was a relatively new company when we discovered it, but their customer service, social media presence, and customer reviews intrigued us.
In 2010, a group of dissatisfied college student set out to reimagine the process of purchasing prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. Expensive frames, limited selections, and advanced appointments inspired the creation of Warby Parker. To promote and grow their business, Warby Parker utilized social media to communicate with customers, reduce the dissonance, and capture customer loyalty.
Communicate with Customers
You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.
Pam Moore, CEO of Marketing Nutz
Social media has become one of the best ways to engage customers. Sproutsocial’s recent study showed that 91% of people believe in social media’s power to connect with customers and 64% of customers want to buy brands who connect with them on social media. However, a common mistake companies make on social media is to treat their page’s feed as a giant sales pitch. Warby Parker’s social media activity is an excellent example of engaging customers. Not only do they quickly respond to questions and complaints, but they also respond to customer’s personal interests. Personalized responses create meaningful moments that show the customers how much the company values their business.
Reduce the Dissonance
When people feel insecure about something, they look around for validation. Show them that other people trust you.
Francisco Rosales, social media marketing coach
One of the biggest challenges Warby Parker faced was the customer’s inability to try on the glasses before they purchased them. To eliminate this hinderance, Warby Parker introduced The Home Try-On Campaign. This campaign allowed customers to pick out five of their favorite frames to be shipped to their home. After trying them on, the customers could buy their favorite one online and could ship the remaining pair back for free. Warby Parker also encouraged customers to share their experience on social media by tagging them in pictures and using campaign hashtags. For a chance to be featured on Warby Parker’s page, many customers shared a picture of themselves in their new glasses and included some details about their experience. This word-of-mouth exposure from satisfied customers helped build trust between potential, uncertain customers and Warby Parker. Un-biased, personal recommendations can be just as beneficial to the success of an organization as expensive advertising content.
Capture Customer Loyalty
Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.
Andrew Davis, marketing speaker & bestselling author
People would rather connect with a person than an organization. Of course people want to know what you are selling, but they also want to know the who and the why. Connecting with customers on a personal level creates loyalty and going the extra mile to provide excellent customer service is always a good idea. Going the extra mile sometimes looks like a handwritten note, a thoughtful gift, or simply a “you look great today.”
Warby Parker also gives their customers a cause to connect with. For every pair of eyeglasses purchased, another pair of eyeglasses is donated to a person in need. When customer feel responsible for contributing to a cause greater than themselves, they also feel a sense of obligation to continue supporting that cause. This increases Warby Parker’s customer retention rate and benefits society. I call that a win-win.
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