How to Increase Brand Loyalty in 2021?
In 2021, when the market is competitive and saturated with millions of varieties of each type of product, the quality of what you’re selling matters, and has an impact on your sales. The emotions that your product evokes and brand bonding is also an important part and should be thought of when you create your marketing campaign.
Think about it, why do you choose Starbucks over a local coffee shop – is it because you really think that the coffee there tastes better, or you like to get a cup with your name on it and enjoy the fact that you always know what you’re going to get? This is exactly what Starbucks was going for – to recreate the feeling of homey welcome – wherever you are. This is the brand they were intent on building from the very beginning.
Branding is often aimed at “feelings” that specific products evoke. It’s simple – the more a customer “feels” about the brand, the more significant likelihood that they would come back to your business. Repeat customers generate more substantial income as they make frequent purchases, buy more, and are already an audience – you don’t have to go out of your way to get their attention, which saves money in marketing and ads.
Build an Active Community
The goal of your social media campaign should be to increase awareness and get people in on the conversation – to create involvement and generate shares. Let your customers feel like they’re a part of your story. Posting new deals, sales and new items in channels like Instagram or Facebook might not be enough – some businesses get involved in local initiatives, talk about their company culture, values and goals. These are the things that get people interested in your company on a personal level. Chances are that you have something of value to share no matter what your niche is. Maybe your staff will join a beach clean-up day? Or maybe you will host a holiday canned food drive in your community?
Follow Up
Make sure you follow up and respond to comments – even the negative ones. Show people that you care about what they have to say. In a lot of cases, negative reviews on sites like Yelp or Google Maps can be counteracted with a positive explanation from a business owner. In most cases, people read these and make their choices accordingly.
Communication is key in social media – after all, it’s a great direct and public communication channel that has a far reach. You will be seen and read – this is why it’s used in so many marketing strategies. Just remember that simply having a publishing schedule for your social media is simply not enough these days.
Use Creative Channels
If you have a lot of things to say, think about being active on various social media platforms – not just the same old Facebook or Instagram. Remember that different people across many niches talk a different “love language” when it comes to brand interaction. They might react better to videos or something they will hear on an audio streaming platform like Spotify or Hulu.
Consider starting a podcast. If you wonder what can you say to your audience and how to write a podcast, the first rule is to remember to create a consistent image and talk about the matters that go beyond the product itself but show the broad picture of who you are, your niche, and the problems you can solve.
TikTok and YouTube are valuable video outlets, depending on the length of your film. A lot of businesses do short “how-to” videos, reviews, or stories that get people excited. They don’t have to sell anything – just create brand awareness.
You can also use other people and creators to make brand awareness reach further and build on the potential. A great example of this is Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice with their viral videos of people drinking their juice straight out of the gigantic bottle. It all got started by Here, celebrities have also gotten involved. A prime example of viral marketing and brand awareness went perfect.
This video started out as an organic post by an unknown person, and got picked up by Ocean Spray at the right time – something that started out as a homemade video spiralled into more than a billion interactions and a “free” brand recognition campaign that led to the significant sales increase.
Treat Your Brand Like a Person
One of the best practices to create a consistent brand image and build brand loyalty is to personalize your products and services. You should give your brand a voice and a story that stands behind it so that it evokes immediate associations with specific features.
Tell a Story
Did you know that the whiskey Chivas Regal has the brand book with over 30 pages in which it’s explained how Chivas Regal would behave at a party and what type of a guy he is? Chivas is funny, easy-going, but not to a too large an extent because he is that cool guy that doesn’t need to make efforts to have a party company.
The whole content marketing of this company is based on this vision. The brand story makes your customer want to feel like a man who drinks this whiskey and thinks of it as something unique. Consequently, they recognize the brand and come back to it when they want to have a drink next time.
Conclusions
There are plenty of ways to build brand loyalty and make your customers stay longer with your products. However, you can’t forget that you should be as loyal and real to your clients as possible. Build a trustworthy image and make the customer experience unique, so your product stands out from the competition.
Your customers will come back if they feel intense emotions during contact with your business. Trust is a huge part of this. Never lie when you speak to your community, be responsive, and make your customers feel that they are as special as your product is.
