In this week's episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I'm joined by Charles Ryan Minton, a customer and employee experience expert, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. Ryan has worked with high profile brands such as Hilton Hotels Worldwide, Marriott International, and InterContinental Hotels Group.As a Hotel Executive, Ryan created environments where employees felt valued and empowered, leading to record-breaking revenues, profits, and some of the highest recognition in hospitality.In our conversation, you'll learn about:how employee enablement affects morale and retentionwhy employees should act like they're "on stage" while workingthe heartfelt story behind the title of Ryan's book, "Thanks for Coming in Today"what led both Brittany & Ryan to walk out of businesses recently Even if you're not in hospitality, the tips and insights you'll hear can be applied to any industry for fostering a positive workplace, maximizing your customers' first impressions, and improving the customer experience from the inside out. Show Notes[00:01:45] Brittany shares how she first met Ryan and discovered his book, "Thanks for Coming in Today."[00:04:05] What led Brittany to walk out of her Acupuncture appointment [00:05:16] Why customers shouldn't see your behind-the-scenes operations and how Ryan obsesses over these first impressions[00:08:05] How Ryan transformed underperforming hotels through employee enablement[00:10:10] The most important aspect of any leader's job[00:11:56] Ryan's small gestures that significantly improved the employee experience[00:14:27] Why employee enablement is so crucial for morale and retention[00:16:31] The first thing Ryan looks to improve at any company[00:18:31] A pet peeve of Ryan that many organizations make and why it's a poor reflection on your employee experience[00:21:42] Everything speaks - even the welcome mats, signage, and the status of your bathrooms.[00:24:30] Brittany's great experience at her dog ophthalmology appointment[00:28:46] The story behind the title of Ryan's book, "Thanks for Coming in Today."[0035:21] Ryan and Brittany have a major disagreement about Costco and both share their respective experiencesBuy "Thanks for Coming in Today"Visit Ryan's Website--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In today's episode of the podcast, I have TWO special guests: Bridget Hilton and Joe Huff.Bridget and Joe are obsessed with experience - but not in the same way that I am. They're all about how to embrace the human experience. In fact, they call themselves experiential billionaires. Determined to unlock the secrets of their power to transform lives, they have spent years interviewing social science experts, conducting the largest study on life experiences ever done, and turning themselves into experiential guinea pigs.Together they have trained to be samurai, stood face to face with hungry lions on safari, built schools for kids in need, worked with A-list celebrities, helped give 50,000 people hearing,  and explored the experiential riches life has to offer. In our conversation, we talk about their new book, Experiential Billionaire, the top experiences they've had, and the actionable steps you can take to build a truly fulfilling life and die with no regrets. Show Notes:[00:01:54] Bridget and Joe share what it's like to officially be published authors.[00:03:26] Bridget and Brittany share how they know each other and their "three careers"[00:05:01] Joe recounts a vulnerable experience he had with this dad that led him onto the path of becoming an experiential billionaire[00:07:41] Bridget shares her background growing up in Flint, MI and working the 'worst' jobs in the music industry.[00:8:39] How Bridget got the idea to start an electronics company (LSTN Sound Co.) that would provide hearing to tens of thousands of people[00:11:33] Where did the name 'experiential billionaire' originate?[00:12:46] The entrepreneur irony of being broke while running a 'multi-million dollar' business[00:13:31] How Bridget and Joe's social impact led to a ripple effect of experiences[00:19:31] The difference between the younger generation and the older generation when it comes to the experiential billionaire mindset.[00:20:48] What percentage of people regret not doing the things they wanted to do in their lifetime[00:22:34] The connection between strong relationships and meaningful experiences[00:28:01] Has Bridget ever met the woman in the YouTube video that inspired LSTN Sound Co.?[00:30:06] Joe gives us the top five experiences he's ever had, including amazing trips across the country and some of the most vulnerable moments with his family.[00:31:47] Joe caveats that the journey of achieving something has to be as enjoyable as the result itself[00:33:18] Bridget shares her top five experiences she's ever had, including giving the gift of hearing to young children, seeing all 50 states, and going through a mental health crisis.You can get "Experiential Billionaire: Build a Life Rich in Experiences and Die With No Regrets" here.More on Experiential Billionaire, including the Treasure Maps Card Deck, merchandise, and FREE instructional guides here.Bridget Hilton's Website--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

James Shaw, accidental entrepreneur, turned an engaged Facebook group into a thriving mastermind during the pandemic. He discusses the power of community and identity, providing value to customers, and the key choice every leader must make in order to create an army of superfans.

In this week's episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I'm joined by David Wachs, the founder and CEO of Handwrytten. Handwrytten is bringing back the lost art of letter-writing through scalable, robot-based solutions that write your notes in pen - directly from your CRM. Used by major subscription-service brands, eCommerce giants, nonprofits and individual professionals, Handwrytten is changing the way brands and people connect.Prior to Handwrytten, David founded Cellit, a mobile marketing platform and agency that pioneered the concept of mobile customer relationship management. David and I chat about the creative ways your brand can stand out in today's AI-powered landscape, the do's and don'ts of sending personalized notes, and the power of automation and repetition in creating superfan customers.Show Notes7:05 - The automated birthday campaign feature7:38 - Why it’s much harder to stand out through email these days10:27 - the intent behind the technology and why it’s important 13:10 - A mistake a real estate agent has made with handwritten notes14:00 - Why you need to send a  “full stop thank you”16:02 - More ideas for when to send personalized notes to your customers17:18 - The prospecting feature within Handwrytten that helps you generate leads through personalized notes18:37 - A genius way a solar panel company utilizes Handwrytten 19:20 - How to use personal or contextual information in handwritten notes in an appropriate way20:46 - Brittany shares ideas for more ways to follow-up with customers with handwritten notes23:10 - How Handwrytten can help entrepreneurs who sell products off Amazon or other third-party sites that want to implement a level of personalization26:18 - How Chewy excels at handwritten notes and surprise and delight27:40 - David share an odd customer story29:15 - What’s the most personal form of communication?30:13 - If you’re asking what the ROI is on handwritten communication,  you’re asking the wrong  question. 33:20 - Another way some people ruin their thank you notes33:50 - Visit handwrytten.com and click the business tab to request a free sample kit Get your free sample of Handwrytten--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

If you've been on the Internet at all this year, you have likely seen many stories about Taylor Swift's game changing Eras Tour. She is breaking records, rewriting the rules, and has had a seismic  (literally seismic!)  impact on just about every area of pop culture.In today's episode of the podcast, I am thrilled to welcome my friend Emily Yahr to talk about the Eras tour and what it means not just for concert experience, but for pop culture experience moving forward. Emily Yahr is an entertainment reporter for The Washington Post, where she covers TV, music, movies and celebrity culture. She joined the Washington Post in 2008 after previously writing for the Boston Globe, USA Today and the Lexington Kentucky Herald Leader. She was a guest covering the Eras tour at multiple stops and will share her thoughts not just on the tour, but on what's ahead for Taylor. Regardless of the industry you're in, you'll hear some actionable takeaways from the Eras Tour that you can incorporate into your business to create your own fervent army of superfans. Show Notes:[00:02:54] Trevor Noah impressed by Taylor Swift's popularity.[00:05:33] Taylor Swift's concert exceeded everyone's expectations - especially with the duration of the show![00:09:37] Taylor Swift surprised fans with full-length performances.[00:12:24] Eras tour creates online fandom frenzy.[00:15:16] Stretching the customer experience: how Taylor masters the before, during, and after.[00:20:08] How the Eras Tour perfectly showcases Taylor Swift's evolution as an artist[00:27:57] Creative jobs at venues attract thousands of applicants.[00:30:15] What Emily appreciates most as she has witnessed Taylor's evolution[00:34:18] Taylor Swift's tour creates nonstop news from the most unlikely anglesEmily's article that I mentioned in the podcast: "The bonding experience of watching a Taylor Swift concert from a parking lot."Read Emily Yahr's entertainment articles (including several more on Taylor Swift) here.--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

To wrap up season 1 of the Creating Superfans podcast, I sat down with Angela Higgins and Traci Saliterman of Total Expert.Angela and Traci are two of the masterminds behind Total Expert’s annual customer conference, Accelerate.As a keynote speaker, I attend over fifty events each year, and Accelerate has truly set the standard for creating the best attendee experience. I asked Traci and Angela to share their top tips for event planners, including how to pick a good theme, how to maximize content opportunities at the conference, and ways to create incredible memories for your attendees.Show Notes:2:57 - What is Accelerate all about?3:32 - Traci’s advice for mapping out the attendee experience4:24 - How Total Expert creates unique networking opportunities for guests6:02 - Light-up badges that you need to use for your next event7:17 - How TE uses photo opportunities throughout the conference to keep people engaged11:19 - The theme for 2023 Accelerate and how a theme helps the event marketing team12:45 - Traci & Angela’s tips for choosing a theme14:46 - Why Total Expert announces next year’s location during the current Accelerate15:40 - How does Total Expert maximize the energy from the attendees to bring the company value throughout the year?16:47 - The cross-departmental communication at Total Expert that ensures every team gets the content they need at Accelerate18:26 - Angela & Traci’s tips for stretching the event budget23:06 - How Accelerate gathers and implements attendee feedback24:50 - How the event team debriefs right after the conference26:00 - Spoilers of what guests can look forward to in a few weeks!Learn more about Accelerate here.--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

This week's guest on the Creating Superfans podcast is Laura Casselman. From broadway to boardroom, Laura is a former professional dancer turned CEO of JVZoo and co-founder of Vidastreet. She’s also the author of the new book, Trust Your Increments: How Small, Consistent Steps Can Lead to Massive Success. Companies under Laura’s direction have landed on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America four times. In this episode, we talk about her journey as a female CEO in a male-dominated industry, how she prioritizes the employee experience at JVZoo, and her best tips for sales and affiliate marketing. Show Notes2:15 - How has it been since Laura’s new book came out on March 7th2:55 - Laura shares her background in entertainment and how she ended up in her corporate career5:43 - How did Laura learn some key leadership skills at such an early age?8:17 - How did Laura transition from the corporate world to being a CEO?9:25 - One of the many sexist interactions that Laura experienced in her career12:05 - What are some of the standards Laura has set at JVZoo that she would like to see across the board?12:50 - How Laura’s team handles “bad” customers16:44 - What is JVZoo and how do they help their customers?17:36 - Why is affiliate marketing such a powerful tool?18:55 - How does JVZoo ensure the integrity of the brand through their affiliate teams?22:10 - The need to over-communicate the vision and expectations of your brand23:11 - The massive move toward Mobile and what this means for your business24:38 - This UX experience may be hurting your mobile success27:25 - Younger generations may trust influencers more than they trust media or review sites29:13 - How can people become an affiliate marketer to earn a new income stream?30:17 - Which products on JVZoo is Laura a SUPERFAN of?31:07 - How may AI change the digital customer experience over the next few years?32:40 - Laura’s message to those who are concerned about using AI--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In this episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I welcome back my partner-in-crime, Alix Steinberg. Alix and I break down one of my most recent newsletter topics: loyalty programs and pricing tiers. Whether your business has a tiered loyalty program or a tiered pricing structure, you’ve got to strike that perfect balance of creating a delightful ‘base’ experience that still encourages customers to spend more money with you and move up the ranks.Inspired by my family vacation to Orlando, we discuss three tips for creating magic at every dollar amount, including free or low-tech examples of acknowledging your customers and some of the brands that do it best.Show Notes:2:55 - How Brittany’s recent family vacation to Orlando sparked the topic for this podcast episode4:05 - Why loyalty programs and complex pricing structures are connected5:40 - The delicate balance between creating a great standalone experience that still encourages customers to move up the ranks of your tiers7:15 - Which experiences did Brittany decide to splurge on at the various theme parks?9:00 - How segmenting your audience can help you define the offerings at the various tiers11:00 - Takeaway #1: Define the objectives of your program14:55 - There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for CX. How Brittany’s Sea World experience differed greatly from her experience at Disney17:25 - Takeaway #2: Never make customer service a “perk”19:45 - Alix shares examples of tech companies that provide great support at every level and how one company in particular provides special support for VIPs21:05 - Brittany shares a story about the importance of your customers (or employees) being at the center of every decision. 24:02 - Takeaway #3: Make it personal24:55 - How employee reward programs are similar to customer reward programs25:50 - Alix claims that sometimes doing something is worse than doing nothing26:30 - Brittany points out that providing too many choices can come off as impersonal 27:30 - How Sephora strikes the perfect balance of personalization 29:00 - Brittany’s experience with hotels and how they acknowledge loyalty 30:40 - How fast food restaurants create great loyalty programs32:40 - You cannot buy superfans. It’s always the human things & the little things that truly cultivate loyal customers.Read the full blog post here.You can subscribe to Brittany’s newsletter here for biweekly messages straight to your inbox. Or, you can sign up for her newsletter on LinkedIn here.--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

Identifying your unique purpose and developing your personal brand are two of the most important, yet challenging, components of being an entrepreneur. Without a clear North Star, you’re doing a disservice to all of your potential customers that are in need of your message.To help us distill our personal brand is Rory Vaden, a New York Times bestselling author, Half of Fame speaker, and co-founder of the Brand Builders Group. Rory helps mission-driven messengers become more well-known and make more impact. In fact, Rory and his team helped me develop my personal brand, including the SUPER Model framework that I've taught to thousands of entrepreneurs. In our conversation, Rory shares his best advice for entrepreneurs, including his Brand DNA Formula that will help you uncover and monetize your uniqueness. Show Notes:3:05 - How Brittany and Rory worked together before becoming friends5:04 - What is Brand Builders Group?6:03 - What inspired Rory to become a speaker?9:35 - How does Rory define personal branding?13:04 - The best advice Rory has ever received 18:42 - The Brand DNA formula that Rory and BBG has developed20:55 - How Brittany answered the first 2 questions in the Brand DNA Formula  to develop her content24:40 - Questions 3-4 of the Brand DNA formula26:07 - “You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.”28:10 - The problem that Brand Builders Group solves and how it connects to Rory’s origin story33:05 - How to get a free call with Brand Guilders Group - freebrandcall.com/brittanyhodak33:04 - The 5 ways to monetize a personal brand 37:06 - The 6th and final question in the Brand DNA formula and the DARES acronym37:55 - The difference between growth and scale40:00 - There is no fear once the mission to serve is clearwww.freebrandcall.com/BrittanyHodak--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

Dr. Aaron Ahuvia knows a thing or two about superfans. He co-authored the publication that popularized the term “brand love” and is the world’s most widely published and cited academic expert on non-interpersonal love. He’s the author of The Things We Love: How Our Passions Connect Us and Make Us Who We Are. Aaron is a professor of marketing at the University of Michigan Dearborn. Aaron researches, teaches, and consults for governments, non-profits, and corporations across the world, including Google, L’Oreal, Samsung, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Ford, and many more. In this episode, Aaron and I discuss the way our brains process love and how you can apply his scientific research to create superfans for your brand.Show Notes2:40 - How does Aaron define ‘brand love’?3:30 - How is brand love different from interpersonal love?7:08 - What are the steps to creating brand love?7:39 - The difference between valuing something and loving it9:30 - The human brain decides if something is a human or an object at two different times10:05 - In order to love anything, your unconscious mind has to treat it as if it is a person10:34 - The three different ways you can get your customers to think of your product or service as a person12:55 - Brittany connects Aaron’s research on brand love to mascots16:03 - Why it’s easier for some salespeople to cultivate ‘love’ than others17:45 - In order to get people to love a brand at an unconscious level, you’ve got to get people to sort your brand into the social world20:35 - The importance of cultivating brand love with your employees24:30 - Why mission-driven companies are more likely to have brand love27:13 - The correlation between religion and brand love29:47 - How did Aaron coin the term ‘brand love’?31:38 - What has changed over the last 30+ years since Aaron started studying brand love?32:50 - What is Aaron a SUPERFAN of?Get his book: The Things We Love--Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletterFollow Brittany on LinkedIn and InstagramGrab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon