Want to know how to turn customers into fans? How to develop strong connections with people? Just do what Angler’s Boutique Resort is doing. I researched the hotel before, it’s ranked as #1 in South Beach on Tripadvisor. Good start but I remained sceptical.

I arrived in Miami after a grueling overnight flight from Los Angeles, tired and worn out. I requested an early check-in at 8am but I’ve done this many times before and often had to wait until early afternoon to get a room.Arriving at 8am, I was greeted by a host, already expecting me and immediately heading to the room. No wait for paperwork or any other bureaucratic tasks. I was introduced to the amazing entertainment system (linking your iPod to all rooms, making DVD’s accessible throughout the suite - did I mention I was upgraded to a suite?) The host left with my credit card, leaving me time to unpack and get settled. For the first time in my life, I experienced a Hotel Internet connection faster than my DSL at home. The room was setup for an overnight traveler: dark room, bed ready to take a quick nap, temperature perfect for a morning sleep.

Yes, I could rave about the bed, the shower, the amenities. But I can get that from many hotels. Adjusting to the needs of a specific customer, that’s what I want to talk about. These little things felt so thoughtful and opened a space in my heart for this boutique hotel. Add to that a little note left on my bed after turndown service, showing the weather forecast for tomorrow (60 degrees in Miami? Whhh-whhh-whhat?) and you feel so good being a guest in this hotel. And, once I get my work done tonight, I will reciprocate by posting a review on Tripadvisor and Yelp. Love is not selfish. Love is about sharing. How does your business transform customers into fans?

We’re living in the information age. We bombard people with product information, spreadsheets, comparison charts. Because that’s what people want: More and more information, right?

Wrong.

Researchers at the Tippie College of Business learned through a study that customers with less information about a product are happier than those with more information:

“We found that once people commit to buying or consuming something, there’s a kind of wishful thinking that happens and they want to like what they’ve bought,” said assistant professor of marketing Dhananjay Nayakankuppam. “The less you know about a product, the easier it is to engage in wishful thinking. But the more information you have, the harder it is to kid yourself. This can be contrasted with what happens before taking any action when people are trying to be accurate and would prefer getting more information to less.”

(…)

“Although the research used inexpensive items like chocolate and hand lotion in its experiments, Nayakankuppam said the Blissful Ignorance Effect could apply to bigger ticket items, too, such as cars or houses. However, since people tend to do more research before buying expensive items and thus would have more information, the effect would be more limited.”

This turns the traditional purchase funnel on its head: Marketers are used to finding and addressing passion points in the awareness stages and overwhelm consumers during the consideration and shopping phase with just the facts, ma’am.  The study clearly shows that businesses need to better engage with aspirations and desires of people throughout the shopping process. People buy into dreams, into wishful thinking. Not into facts. Sure, some product decisions are purely based on facts (Did you ever buy a flash drive because it made you feel sexy?) but most are based on emotion.

Based on this study, brands should revisit their marketing strategy and find ways to speak to passion points throughout the sales process. And beyond. These passion points are best addressed by utilizing social media and conversational marketing - the places where people discuss their desires and needs.  In the end, people want to feel good about their purchase: They want to get recognition from their peers, get an emotional lift, feel better about themselves. Successful advertising has always known that.

Conversational Marketing not only guides people through the shopping process, helps them with information and resolves possible tripping points. More importantly, Conversational Marketing helps people to share their passion and emotions and extend the reach of their ‘post purchase high’.