Don't make empty marketing promises. Back it up with a great experience.

In this edition of Building Great Experiences, I’m excited to share some key takeaways from my recent podcast episode with Joe Bell, marketing and CX leader at CX Pilots. Joe and I discussed the evolving relationship between marketing and customer experience (CX), and how businesses can build true customer loyalty by bridging the gap between what they promise and what they deliver. We’ll dive into why this intersection matters more than ever and actionable ways to improve both marketing and CX functions to create lasting customer relationships.

1. Marketing is way more than amplification

In the past, marketing was all about amplifying messages and getting as many eyeballs as possible on your brand to drive sales. However, customer expectations have changed drastically. People are no longer satisfied with simply hearing about how great your product is. They need to experience it for themselves.

Businesses today can’t just say their product is great and expect customers to believe them. Customers rely on peer recommendations and real experiences than on marketing claims. This shift means that marketing must align with the actual experience that customers receive.

If you promise one thing and deliver another, you will 100% lose trust and ultimately lose customers.

Putting this into action:

• Audit your marketing messages: Ensure that the messages you’re promoting in campaigns match the reality of what customers will experience.

• Monitor online feedback: Track social media, reviews, and other channels to understand how customers perceive your brand, and adjust your messaging to match the actual experience. Or better yet... actually improve the experience 😉 

• Collaborate across departments: Get cross-functional teams in the same room to ensure alignment in both the customer promise and the delivery.

2. Understanding customer needs is key

A major theme in our conversation was the importance of truly understanding customer needs and aligning your marketing and CX efforts around them. Joe shared how companies that do this well excel because they focus on customer value and are always thinking outside-in vs inside-out.

Marketing isn't just pushing your product or service. It’s about providing valuable content that customers find helpful, even before they’re in the market. This long-term relationship-building pays off when the customer finally needs your product or service, and your brand is top of mind. By centering your efforts on customer needs and value, you will be able to build trust and loyalty that lasts.

Putting this into action:

• Talk to customers regularly: Have regular, direct conversations with customers to understand their needs and challenges, not just what you think they want.

• Create value-driven content: Develop content that genuinely helps your audience, even if it’s not directly related to your product. The more value you offer upfront, the more loyal your customers will be when they’re ready to buy.

• Practice outside-in thinking: Look at your business through your customers’ eyes and ask yourself, “How can we better meet their needs?” Then test ideas and

3. CX metrics must align with business goals

We discussed how important it is to continually measure your customer experience. The key to getting this right is ensuring that your CX metrics and KPIs are tied to real business goals like revenue, churn, or customer retention.

Too often, organizations over-rely on metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) without digging deeper into what those scores actually mean for the business. By focusing on how CX improvements impact your bottom line, you can prove the value of your investments and make a stronger case for prioritizing customer experience.

Putting this into action:

• Map CX metrics to business outcomes: Identify how CX improvements impact key business metrics such as revenue growth, customer retention, or cost savings.

• Use both qualitative and quantitative data: Don’t rely solely on scores like NPS. Pair them with qualitative feedback from customers to get a full picture of the experience.

• Regularly review & adjust: Continuously measure and adjust your CX efforts based on real-time data and feedback to ensure they’re driving the right outcomes.

4. Community is the secret sauce for building lasting loyalty

Great brands don’t just sell products, they create communities. Companies like Notion and Figma are prime examples of this. They’ve created platforms where users don’t just use their products. They connect with each other, share insights, and build relationships around the brand.

This sense of community creates deep customer loyalty because people feel like they’re part of something bigger than just a transaction. Brands that invest in building and nurturing communities around their products will see higher engagement, increased retention, and organic growth through word-of-mouth.

Putting this into action:

• Foster user communities: Create spaces where your customers can connect with each other, whether through online channels, social media groups, or in-person events. This could be a Slack channel, a sub-Reddit, a meetup, etc.

• Empower brand evangelists: Encourage your most loyal customers to share their experiences and advocate for your brand. Offer incentives and perks, turning them into ambassadors for your community and ultimately your brand.

• Host community events: Organize events where your customers can network, learn, and collaborate around shared interests related to your brand.

Wrapping up

Successful brands don’t just focus on marketing or CX. They combine both to create seamless, value-driven experiences. When you align your messaging with the real experiences customers have, understand their needs deeply, and build a community around your brand, you’ll unlock the kind of loyalty that lasts.

I hope these insights inspire you to take actionable steps toward better aligning your marketing and CX efforts 😊

Onward & upward,

Drew

P.s. If we haven’t met yet, hello! I’m Drew Burdick, Founder and Managing Partner at StealthX. We work with brands to design & build great customer experiences that win. I share ideas weekly through this newsletter & over on the Building Great Experiences podcast. Have a question? Feel free to reply to this email — I’d love to hear from you.