Think about the rituals that punctuate your days. Freshly boiled water poured over scented tea, your morning workout, or favourite mug. The ten minutes you use to brainstorm ideas in Evernote, checking emails, or meeting colleagues at lunchtime, your ring tone, playlist, date night….each one adding another layer of meaning to your day, becoming part of your story.

When we have ideas, make things, produce, sell and serve, we often begin by trying to work out how to get ‘our thing’ into the hands or inboxes of more people. The better strategy might be to work out how to punctuate the right person’s day and deliver one moment of anticipated joy or welcome interruption?

This kind of thinking is how Starbucks made a $4 coffee part of the story of millions of people.

How might you do that?

1. Create a great product, service or content that people enjoy using or coming back for.
Instagram, Amazon, Dropbox and Gala Darling.

2. Change how people feel in the moment.
Starbucks, copy on packaging like Nudie juices and Airbnb wish lists.

3. Solve a problem (maybe one people didn’t even know they had).
Evernote, 7 minute workout app and Canva.

4. Give people a story to tell themselves.
Macarons, Kickstarter, and yes even a commodity like milk.

5. Notice what people already do and work out ways that you can either disrupt, or become part of those rituals.
Warby Parker, Zappos and YouTube.

6. Make it easy for them to come back.
Dollar Shave Club, The Period Store and Netflix.

Image by LDRose.

How have you found a way to become part of your customer’s story?