It’s amazing how many good marketing insights I’ve had during exercise class. The linchpin of Maternal Instinct’s entire approach to marketing to moms — what we call Warm Blanket marketing — was formulated during a yoga class. I had another a-ha moment during this morning’s Pure Barre class that I wanted to share with all of you.

In the final moments of class, on my exercise mat doing the last excruciating ab work, I noticed the instructor flitting around the room, depositing a wet wipe next to everyone. I mistakenly assumed this was for my sweaty face — like at a high-end sushi restaurant — but the smell of the wipe let me know it was not that. Then I witnessed all my classmates busily scouring down their mats with the wipes. A-ha! These anti-bacterial wipes ensure the studio’s mats are cleaned after every use. We know because we clean them ourselves.

Ingenious!

Pure Barre figured out a way to reassure a consumer about cleanliness, and they saved themselves some labor at the same time. How might this translate to your business?

Does your company have an e-commerce offering…and might some consumers be wary of storing their credit card information after a sale? What if you could make the “destruction” of their credit card information something that the consumer triggers herself, rather than just a check box that says “Do not store my credit card for future use.” Find a way to make the disappearance of her payment information come to life on your site with reassuring text. Simple things like this can be really satisfying and make consumers trust you more.

What else? Does your company have a charitable give back? Don’t bury that in your About Us page. Tell customers as they view their shopping cart the exact portion of their sale that will go to charity and — better yet — let them choose between 3 charities for the gift.

Any other ideas? We’re all ears.