Zappos.com is known for going above and beyond when it comes to customer service. Over the years, they’ve built a sustainable brand, with a very loyal following, by creating a company culture focused on offering an unmatched customer experience. Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com CEO,  gave the opening remarks at SXSWi in March, sharing his insight on how companies can successfully build a long term brand from the ground up.

Shopping at Zappos.com, a customer might notice several key elements that differ from other sites, and they’re by no means unintentional:

• Visible 1-800 number is shown on every page of the site.
• Free shipping on all orders.
• Free returns, with a 365 day return policy.
• Surprises for repeat customers.

Much more has gone into building the Zappos brand than the customer-friendly elements above. Hsieh provided these tips on building a sustainable brand: 

• Decide if you’re trying to build a sustainable brand. It’s all about commitment. Realize that you may find the beginning of the journey difficult, but over time, the commitment to your endeavor will pay off.  
• Figure out values and culture. Think about your personal values and align your company values with them. Live the brand.
• Commit to transparency. Transparency was a huge theme throughout SXSW this year. Zappos embraces transparency through the web, by having their employees use Twitter (to talk about life, work, etc.), allowing customer reviews and more.
• Chase the vision, not the money. Do something that you’d be happy doing ten years from now, even if money weren’t involved.
• Build relationships. Don’t “network.” Get to know people on a real level; you’ll be amazed how those real connections will be beneficial somewhere down the line.
• Build your team. Having a team that lives 100% by your company values is key to success. Don’t be afraid to hire slowly and fire quickly if someone doesn’t fit the bill.
• Think long term. There is no overnight success story. Repeat customers are the lifeblood of Zappos.com, and they become repeat through excellent customer service over the years.

You can check out the entire presentation here: http://www.slideshare.net/zappos/zappos-sxsw-31409.

Whuffie was a definite buzz word among many at SXSW Interactive this year, and I went to Tara Hunt’s session at the conference to learn all about it. What’s whuffie? It’s social capital.

Whuffie is built by one’s reputation, connections, influence and access to resources across the Web. As the online world continues to move in the direction where social networks rule, social capital will be increasingly important for brands. And when whuffie grows, it leads to better word of mouth, more repeat sales and increased customer loyalty.

How can your brand make whuffie and reap the benefits?

1. Turn the bullhorn inwards. One-way marketing messages are impersonal and outdated. Start listening to what your customers are saying about you (search Twitter, Facebook, blogs), and accept their feedback (good or bad).
2. Become part of the community you serve. What problem does your brand solve? Find that community and join it. In this open online world, authenticity and transparency are key.
3. Create amazing customer experiences. Inject fun into the experience and make happiness your business model.
4. Embrace the chaos. Define your own measure of success and have patience.
5. Find your higher purpose. Think customer-centrically and give back to your community. Help them go further by sharing info with them.

How do you measure whuffie?

Hunt suggests measuring the success of your site and your brand with new metrics, outside of typical analytics. Instead of counting the number of minutes a visitor spends on your site, measure the number of referrals sent to your website, the number of influential social network members who add you as a friend, and the number of customers writing about using your products. 

You can check out Hunt’s SXSW presentation here. And learn more about her book at www.thewhuffiefactor.com. 

One of my favorite projects was helping name and brand a New Urbanist town in North Carolina. After 50+ possible names, we settled on a simple choice that reflected the village's philosophy and purpose: Breakaway.  

Three important naming lessons we've learned over the years played a part in naming Breakaway: 

1. You must be comfortable with the shortest version of your name.
Inevitably, multiple-word names will be shortened, even Wright Strategies is often referred to by clients as simply "Wright."

2. Know why you are choosing a name, and be committed to it.
After naming Breakaway, we had to define its essence and carry through that identity in all supporting marketing materials. 

3. Is it easy to pronounce?
My passion for everything Italian heavily influenced the name of my first company, Chiave Interactive (pronounced key-AH-vay). After years of people butchering its pronunciation and spelling, I swore I would pick something easier next time.