Reagan Writes

Few start-ups have shaken the world of marketing quite like Warby Parker. Started by two college students who recognized a problem in the world of prescription glasses, Warby Parker seeks “to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style” according to the History page on their website. Rather than spend time scheduling appointments with over-booked optometrists and searching through hundreds of pairs of glasses with fake lenses, Warby Parker allows you to order 5 pairs to try at home. Their offer of free shipping makes it feel low-risk for a potentially high-reward.

So how did they accomplish such a successful overtake of the eyeglass industry? It all comes down to their marketing strategy.

Founder Neil Blumenthal understood the importance of brand loyalty in the success of any startup. Though they were hardly the first company to offer at-home try-on options to consumers, the way they established their brand made sure they were the top of the market. They utilized social media marketing to build a knowledge of their brand, ensuring they were the top brand coming to customer’s minds, and then followed through on a good product that would encourage those customers to be their own brand ambassadors, whether they knew it or not. In Steve Denning’s article “What’s Behind Warby Parker’s Success,” Denning makes the claim that brand loyalty is a lot like marriage – you have to work to get into it, but then you have to continue to work to stay in it.

For a process like buying new glasses, anything that can reduce the stress and financial burden is going to be popular. However, it also comes with trepidation for a new process. The founders of Warby Parker understood this and made sure their business model and marketing, along with their brand, answered all the questions before they were asked. And the first customers shared with their friends how easy it was. And then their friends shared with their friends, and so on. Delivering a consistent, quality product in a way that addresses potential problems before they occur is huge. Being able to harness that success into an even more successful example of brand loyalty is even bigger.

That’s the key to successful Social Media Marketing: authentic branding and brand loyalty. We all know that your product is a good one and that it will accomplish what it was created to accomplish, but who are you? What drove you to creating this product? Why should I buy it from you and not this other vendor that I’ve trusted for years? If you establish an authentic brand early on in your marketing journey, you are more likely to gain loyal followers. Consumers are much more likely to stay with their comfort vendor, even if it’s less convenient and more expensive, if they haven’t found another one they are comfortable trusting. Think about the last time you had a craving for french fries. Did you go to a specific restaurant? For me, McDonald’s always has the best fries. My entire life, I’ve seen them as the best place to go for french fries.

HOWEVER, the one thing McDonald’s fries can’t claim is consistency. When they’re fresh and perfectly salted, they’re the greatest fast food fries in the world. But if they’ve been sitting in the warmer for half an hour and the fry cook was conservative with the salt application? Disgusting. Enter: Wendy’s new marketing campaign promising hot and crispy fries – every time. They call it their “Hot & Crispy Guarantee.”While I still argue that McDonald’s fries, when fresh, are superior, the consistency and reassurance of Wendy’s guarantee has me reconsidering my allegiances.

Just as Wendy’s guarantee of delicious fries every time has me reconsidering my French Fry Allegiance, Warby Parker’s assurances with free shipping and try-before-you-buy approach has a lot of glasses-wearers reconsidering the way they buy their glasses. And it all comes down to the way they market their brand.