What is marketing lagniappe?

What is marketing lagniappe?

There is a great word that originated in Louisiana called ‘lagniappe’ (pronounced lann-yap).  The creole word literally translated means ‘the gift.”  It refers to a small unexpected extra gift or benefit presented by a store owner to a customer at the time of purchase.

The people of Louisiana have embraced the term and have broadened the definition to include any time a little something extra is given.  [Click here to read Mark Twain's account of his first introduction to lagniappe from Life on the Mississippi]

How do you integrate the concept of ‘lagniappe’ into your product, service or life?

Here are the four main ingredients:

1. Unexpected – the extra benefit or gift should be a surprise.  It is something thrown in for good measure.  Think ’surprise and delight’ or ‘branded act of kindness’.
2. Relevant – the item or benefit should be of value to the recipient.  Make sure that the item or service is a true benefit.  It shouldn’t be a one size fits all proposition.
3. Unique – if it’s a small token or gift, try to select something that’s rare, hard to find or unique to your business.
4. Authentic – many times it comes down to the gesture.  It becomes more about ‘how’ it is given, as opposed to ‘what’ is given. The small gift or extra communicates that you care about your client and you appreciate their patronage.

In today’s difficult business landscape the ability to provide ‘added value’ will set you apart from your competitors, i.e. purple goldfish.  Are you always striving to deliver above and beyond?  What is that ‘little something extra’?