Makeover the Mundane: A Look Into Warby Parker's Marketing Success

3 min read
Jul 16, 2014 2:22:00 PM

Buying glasses isn't terribly exciting. At least, it didn't use to be. 

Warby Parker has made becoming a four-eyes an experience, from the moment you walk through the shop doors to the realization that your purchase has a legacy, in that it will provide a pair of glasses for someone in need. (For anyone who has as poor vision as I do, giving someone the ability to see with clarity is a powerful thought). 
The founders of Warby Parker saw a need — affordable and convenient access to prescription eyewear — and they have experienced huge success in revitalizing the somewhat stale market for eyeglasses. The key lesson from WP's success is this: people are not solely attracted to brand-new ideas with an undeniably fun or fascinating basis. Between our exciting new gadgets, we still have to live our day-to-day lives, which include a lot of mundane obligations. So, any means of making these everyday activities easier or more pleasant becomes attractive. As a result, there is a huge opportunity market for capitalizing on boring tasks or necessities by making minor changes to the way we engage with them. 

Inbound marketing is all about addressing a perceived customer need. Here are the 4 marketing strategies that made Warby Parker so successful.


1. Convenience.

Acknowledging the busy schedules of its customers, Warby made finding the perfect pair of glasses easy. Each store has an on-site optometrist, so you can get an eye exam, pick the frames you like, and get fitted for your custom-made glasses all in one place. And if you can't get to one of their 15 locations, no problem! They will send you up to 5 frames for free, so that you can carefully model and veto them right at home. 

Any good marketer knows that convenience plays a huge role in consumer decisions. Whether its through mobile access to information or user-friendly CTAs, make sure that your inbound marketing methods do something to make life more convenient for your visitors. 

2. Communication.
Not only does Warby Parker provide excellent customer service in person, they have also mastered email nurturing. When I bought my "Burke" glasses (tortoise-shell and very nerd-chic) a few weeks ago, I was promptly informed via email that my order had been processed and then shipped. A week later, I got a message about the new designs in stock, which caused me to revisit the site to check out prescription shades. 

Nurturing customers is vital! After someone has made a purchase, (or even just filled out a landing page, depending on your sales cycle) make sure to follow-up with information that you think they may find interesting or useful based on that recent purchase or interaction.

3. Social Contribution.

Warby's "Buy a Pair, Give a Pair" campaign is dedicated to the goal of providing glasses to those without access to corrective lenses, of whom there are currently 703 million. 1 pair of glasses results in a 35% increase in productivity, and a 20% increase in monthly income. WP's non-profit partner VisionSpring has trained 18,000 people across 35 countries to give basic eye exams and sell glasses at affordable prices, which allows those individuals to earn a living in addition to providing others with quality eyewear. 

I know, I'm revealing my Vermont hippie liberal arts background here, but I can't stress enough how influential acts of social responsibility or compassion can be as a part of a company's brand. People just feel good about contributing to societal improvement. At $95 for a pair with the promise of social benefit, it's hard to resist.

4. Experience.
Finally, visiting the website (complete with a blog!) or an actual store becomes a customer experience. Getting fitted for a customized pair of glasses on-site or navigating Warby's appealing website is a memorable and pleasant experience, which inspires positive reviews. 

With the overwhelming amount of consumer choices out there today, giving the customer a positive experience when dealing with your company is invaluable, not only for fostering a good relationship, but also for turning satisfied clients into brand ambassadors. 

WP transformed the way we buy glasses. Uber is changing the way we travel, Haystack the way we find parking. Life is full of boring but necessary tasks, and people are constantly looking for the easiest ways to address those hassles. You don’t have to come up with something totally new – you just have to find a way to reshape the way people experience something familiar. By practicing inbound marketing methods like gathering lead information and then sending personalized, nurturing emails, you can figure out exactly what people find frustrating, and provide them with a solution. Inbound is all about providing helpful answers to people’s pain points, which is exactly what Warby Parker has done. Take a page out of their book, and start to address your customers’ needs with inbound marketing! Communication, helpful content, and the illuminating analytics provided by the HubSpot platform are all it takes to attract, convert, and delight more customers.

Inbound Marketing 101

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