Recently, I attended a symposuim hosted by the Calvin Institute with my wife.  Some of the many sessions I attended focused on how to create an awesome worship experince.  By hearing many of the different musicians perform live,  I noticed how the art and science of music enhanced the message.  Music brought the message to life in the worship experience.  Different types of music changed the message and moved each listener to a different experience.  Being a musician along with my wife,  music has a deep and moving meaning for me in the worship experience.

Listening to many of the religious experts and musicians throughout the two day symposuim, I started to put on my marketing hat and had an epiphany! I started to correlate how the worship experience ties directly to creating a customer experience.  Let me illustrate what parts were striking simliar to both types of experiences.

• Invitation- The invitation is targeted to a audience that is compelled to participate.  Both audiences are targeted to the experience via word, print, digital or website and sometimes divine invitation.
• Message-  The message is strong to satisfy the content promised by the invitation.  Both messages appeal to the audience with strong supporting statements.  Music tends to highten the senses compelling you to action just like choosing the right marketing channel compels the customer to take action.
• Sending- The sending is the call to action after the experience.  Both experiences send you on your journey charged based upon the message.

Just like the symposium marked me with an experience of a lifetime, we all have customer experiences that make an impact on us.  One such customer experience comes to mind is the experience I had with a major clothing retailer.  They presented at a user group meeting I attended and these practical approaches resonated with me.  The retailer stressed how to:

• Identify where marketers can specifically affect the customer experience online;
• Understand marketing attribution and customer behavior within complex cross channel situations;
• Apply best practices for combining digital and offline data for a complete view of the customer.

Now, go out and be ready for your next life experience wherever it takes you.

If you would like to read more about the retailer mentioned above, check out this white paper titled "Digital Marketing Drives the Omni-channel Experience".  Click here if you would like more information on creating an awesome customer journey.

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