If you know any architects you’ll probably agree that they can be fiercely loyal to certain brands, especially those that define their sense of style and good taste. Windows, doors, flooring, office furniture – especially chairs – right down to their brand of paint. 

So, when my neighbor, the architect, said that she and her husband were going to drive 40 miles for ice cream one evening I wasn’t too surprised. I just figured, it's a brand thing – Häagen-Dazs or Ben and Jerry’s.

The irony is that there's a great little café two blocks down the street that has wonderful ice cream. They offer a dozen different flavors and they're made right here in Lancaster, PA.

I didn’t know how much our neighbors spent on these junkets, but I assumed that they were doing their part to fuel the recovery. I'm sure that driving their SUV 40 miles cost as much as a couple cones at the local café. 

The next day they revealed the true reason for this excursion. It wasn’t about the ice cream. It was about the brand experience. They could eat locally made ice cream, exactly like the brand offered down the street, while watching thousands of fireflies light up a park surrounding them. A dazzling 360-degree experience.

Which brings me to the point of this mid-summer night's blog. Your brand is only as good as the brand experience associated with it.

For B-to-B companies, their website is the door to their brand experience. Your site may be small and specialized or large and impressive. But as you plan for the recovery, think about the user experience. If your website reads like War and Peace, it can choke the life out of your brand. If your web experience wastes a user’s time, don’t be surprised when your competition takes advantage. Now is the time to fix it – not after the market recovers again.

If you have segmented markets, be sure to develop segmented application areas. These are as important as café tables to an ice cream parlor. People will stay on your site longer if you share videos, case histories, testimonials and provide product paths from these little hubs. 

Build steps that take visitors deeper – not in circles. Offer multiple targeted e-newsletters rather than one generic e-news subscription. When the recovery comes back in each market segment, you can tailor the message. You’ll be able to walk customers through different stages of their buying cycle and make your brand experience just as valuable as the products that you sell.