How to Be a Forever Brand with Robbie Kellman Baxter
08/03/20 • 29 min
“Any subscription brand needs to know—what problem am I solving for my customers? What’s our forever promise?” With a career building subscriptions for brands like Netflix and Electronic Arts, Robbie Kellman Baxter knows what it takes to build lasting customer relationships. That’s been the focus of her books including her latest, The Forever Transaction. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
About Robbie Kellman Baxter
Robbie Kellman Baxter is a bestselling author, speaker, and consultant with more than 20 years of experience providing strategic business advice to major organizations including Netflix, the Wall Street Journal, and Electronic Arts. In the past ten years, her company Peninsula Strategies has advised over 100 organizations on subscription and growth strategy. Her first book, The Membership Economy was an international best seller. Her new book, The Forever Transaction, was released in April 2020. It has been described as a true game-changer taking readers through every step of the subscription business process—from initial start-up or testing of a new model to scaling the operation for long-term growth and sustainability to revamping your culture so everyone works together to optimize customer lifetime value.
Episode Highlights
What defines a subscription brand? “It’s all based on a trusted relationship that justifies a habit.”
“Consumers know the difference between a good and a bad subscription.” I had to know more. Robbie pointed to Netflix as an example of a good subscription due to their “subscription hygiene.”
What does it take to build ongoing relationships with customers? “You have to make sure you continue to solve their problems on an ongoing basis,” says Robbie. You also have to continue to onboard new subscribers for customer success.
What should you do in the next five minutes? As Tom Peters says, excellence is the best short-term strategy. I asked Robbie what you can you do in the next five minutes to help build a forever brand with your customers. Robbie says: “Define your forever promise and your best customer.” That would be five minutes well spent!
What brand has made Robbie smile recently? Robbie once again turned to Netflix based on their recent announcement that they canceled accounts that had been dormant for a year or more. “They don’t want revenue zombies.” This too reinforces the idea of building trusted relationships over time.
To learn more, go to Robbie’s website and find special resources at robbiekellmanbaxter.com/audience.
As We Wrap ...
Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.
- Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
- Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
- OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Any subscription brand needs to know—what problem am I solving for my customers? What’s our forever promise?” With a career building subscriptions for brands like Netflix and Electronic Arts, Robbie Kellman Baxter knows what it takes to build lasting customer relationships. That’s been the focus of her books including her latest, The Forever Transaction. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
About Robbie Kellman Baxter
Robbie Kellman Baxter is a bestselling author, speaker, and consultant with more than 20 years of experience providing strategic business advice to major organizations including Netflix, the Wall Street Journal, and Electronic Arts. In the past ten years, her company Peninsula Strategies has advised over 100 organizations on subscription and growth strategy. Her first book, The Membership Economy was an international best seller. Her new book, The Forever Transaction, was released in April 2020. It has been described as a true game-changer taking readers through every step of the subscription business process—from initial start-up or testing of a new model to scaling the operation for long-term growth and sustainability to revamping your culture so everyone works together to optimize customer lifetime value.
Episode Highlights
What defines a subscription brand? “It’s all based on a trusted relationship that justifies a habit.”
“Consumers know the difference between a good and a bad subscription.” I had to know more. Robbie pointed to Netflix as an example of a good subscription due to their “subscription hygiene.”
What does it take to build ongoing relationships with customers? “You have to make sure you continue to solve their problems on an ongoing basis,” says Robbie. You also have to continue to onboard new subscribers for customer success.
What should you do in the next five minutes? As Tom Peters says, excellence is the best short-term strategy. I asked Robbie what you can you do in the next five minutes to help build a forever brand with your customers. Robbie says: “Define your forever promise and your best customer.” That would be five minutes well spent!
What brand has made Robbie smile recently? Robbie once again turned to Netflix based on their recent announcement that they canceled accounts that had been dormant for a year or more. “They don’t want revenue zombies.” This too reinforces the idea of building trusted relationships over time.
To learn more, go to Robbie’s website and find special resources at robbiekellmanbaxter.com/audience.
As We Wrap ...
Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.
- Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
- Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
- OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
Evidence-Based Brand Building with Marc Guldimann
“Duration is the perfect proxy for attention.” Marc Guldimann has spent his career at the intersection of two scientific fields—human decision making and technology. He’s the founder of several startups including his latest, Adelaide, which sells ads based on duration or time spent. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
About Marc Guldimann
Marc Guldimann is the Co-Founder and CEO of Parsec Media, the first marketplace to sell media based on time spent. Parsec Media is the owner and operator of Adelaide, the first performance tool for brand builders. A longtime entrepreneur, Marc is experienced in synthesizing his experience across digital media, computer security, and decision sciences to develop simple yet powerful solutions. Prior to created Sled and Parsec, Marc was the founding CEO of Enliken and Spongecell Inc spending two decades at Internet and technology firms. Before digital media, he worked in the wireless network security industry, where he developed the first wireless virus filter. Mr. Guldimann led technical sales and marketing efforts for both Vernier Networks and Network Chemistry. Marc graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in Social Decision Sciences and currently resides in Brooklyn.
Episode Highlights
Branding is the ultimate interdisciplinary job. As a social sciences fan, I had to ask Marc about his degree in Social Decision Sciences. He noted that this program at Carnegie Mellon stressed interdisciplinary studies. This set the tone for our conversation as we veered back and forth from the science of media to the art of creative.
The job of media and the job of creative. Marc drew distinct lines around the role of media—getting the brand in front of the right people—and the role of creative—capturing the attention of the right people when the ad is in front of them.
Evidence-based marketing. Marc and I spent a lot of time talking about the growing capabilities of evidence-based marketing and the science of attention. Specifically, his work at Adelaide and his focus on selling media based on time spent. “Duration is a perfect proxy for attention.”
What brand has made Marc smile recently? Marc mentioned Delta during the show and came back to them for his smile as we wrapped up. His love of the brand comes “not from an ad—but from an experience” where their CEO emailed him back. That’s how you build long-term loyalty.
To learn more, go to adelaidelift.com.
As We Wrap ...
Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.
- Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
- Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
- OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode
Creating Superfans Internally and Externally with Matt Barnett
“The most important part of any brand is the team.” Matt Barnett would know. A serial entrepreneur, Matt’s latest venture is Bonjoro, a B2B asynchronous video platform helping organizations connect with their customers. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
About Matt Barnett
A British designer & Artist, Matt Barnett moved to Australia where Bonjoro was born from a sales hack for his first business. Matt and the team decided to go all-in on the idea, and 3 years later Bonjoro has snowballed into a startup success story with a fully remote team across 6 countries and 5 continents.
Matt’s love of building great products is only surpassed by his total commitment to building great business culture, and his goal is to be the next Zappos, to be the most-loved brand in the world.”
Episode Highlights
How to build your startup brand as a team? We talked a lot about the intersection of brand origins and team origins and how often, these two intersect. Matt says that you need to hire the right team first, noting that “brand happens later.”
“You have to build super fans internalizing and externally.” Matt focused his advice on two critical groups of people—your employees and your customers. How do you do that ...?
Let’s talk bears. Look at any of Bonjoro’s touchpoints and you’ll see that their brand personification is an adorable teddy bear. This bear branding makes its way throughout the organization, from the koala bears they sponsor as a company to the bear onesies every employee gets, including the self-proclaimed “Papa Bear” himself.
What should you do in the next five minutes? As Tom Peters said on this podcast, excellence is the best short-term strategy. We asked Matt what you should do in the five minutes after this show ... “Asynchronous personalized video messages.” Matt noted that he may be biassed on this front (that’s what Bonjoro does!) but he also reinforced this with the impact you can have with clients by recording a simple 30-second video.
What brand has made Matt smile recently? Inspired by other engaging brands, Matt pointed to “Hey,” the new email platform built by the folks from Basecamp, for the brand’s combination of fun and simplicity.
To learn more, connect with the “Papa Bear” himself on LinkedIn and go to the Bonjoro website to learn more about Matt’s company.
As We Wrap ...
Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.
- Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
- Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
- OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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