No brand has a monopoly of the market share regardless of how well they have done in the past. Every brand must continue to be on their toes to remain top of their customers’ minds.
In today’s competitive marketplace, building brand loyalty for your organisation is not optional for any brand that wants to remain relevant for a long while. Building brand loyalty has become a core aspect of the business development strategy for any serious brand.
Brand loyalty is defined as a customer’s tendency to choose the same brands over the competition for an extended period.
There are many layers to building brand loyalty, but we have outlined some critical aspects here which if well implemented, can ensure your brand enjoys consistent loyalty from your customers.
Understand what value means to your customers and deliver
What does value mean to your customers? Get a true understanding of what your customer considers to be real value, and not what you assume it is. One of the ways to determine this is through market research and a great feedback system.
Understanding this value should be followed up with delivering them beyond your customers’ expectations as competition is high.
Also, in a bid to deliver value, continually refine your products and services to ensure their focus is on the consumer’s needs and solutions to their challenges.
Sometimes, delivering value may also involve creating a reward system for customers. Deliver rewards according to purchase volume or frequency.
Be an aspirational brand
A major advantage that brands like Apple, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Amazon, and Rolls Royce have over other brands is that they have remained aspirational to customers.
They are positioned not only as a solution to today’s customer needs, but also as solutions for tomorrow, and the kind of life customers aspire to.
For most customers, associating with these brands evokes a sense of pride, class, positive emotion, and greatness. Brands lose customers’ loyalty after a while when there is nothing innovative to look forward to in them. It is natural human psychology. It is the reason why brands keep coming up with new models, series, and variants of their products just to keep customers appetites up. Continually retweak your services and new features.
This forms a brand experience that goes beyond the functionality of your brand.
Be proactive and not reactive
Be proactive with every touchpoint of your customer experience. Do not wait to be engaged, be the one initiating engagement with your customers.
Also, don’t work with assumptions on any aspect of your customer’s experience. Consistently evaluate if your product or service still meets the needs of your customers. It’s easy to assume that you know what’s best for your customers when your product or service is selling out. Sometimes there might be other factors behind your selling even when your brand has lost loyalty with your customers. Time usually reveals, but don’t wait until it’s too late.
Have a regular feedback system to learn about your customers’ experiences, take them on the journey with you, ask for their feedback, listen and act promptly.
Get Personal with Your Customers
Getting personal with your customer is critical to sustaining any business. With the automation of most processes, customers still want to feel the humanity behind any brand. People buy from people they know. To improve brand loyalty, create a personal relationship that generates a sense of value for your customer, both in their hearts and minds.
This should also reflect in all your communication channels and interactions with your customers. Use the data your users give to you to create more personalized experiences to deliver what they want. Emails, for example, should have a salutation with the name of the recipient, not the usual “Dear Sir/Madam.” Create customized offers and content based on your data.
If you ask people to make enquiries or purchase through your direct message (DM) on your social media page, you should be able to respond in real-time as well.
Charity begins at home; start with your employees/team first
The disposition of your team towards your customers reflects their emotional and mental wellbeing. If you want loyal customers, start with your team first. When your employees feel appreciated and included, customers see and feel it too.
Cultivate a work environment that encourages vulnerability, accessibility, growth, and reward. Attend to any struggling team member, ask how they are doing and what you can do to help. When employees feel a sense of belonging, they will then pay it forward, even when they are not being monitored. They will ensure the best for customers.
This article was written by Detail and Avedia Consulting; a leading 360 degree Communications and Media firm in Africa, specializing in Advertising, Digital Marketing, Retail Solutions, Public Relations, Content Marketing and Brand Communications.