Brand Loyalty | How to Make Customers Care
Brands are recognizable on a grand scale for a variety of companies, including companies like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Apple. These are all brand giants that are known the world over. They had to start somewhere though. These are global brands because of the work put in specifically to ensure their brand became loved. This wasn't something that happened organically but rather as part of many intentional campaigns. Part of this comes down to presence, both in person and online. They knew their brand, what they had to offer the people, and how to market themselves as such. Your business might be in a different sector than these companies but it’s no less applicable. Gordon Ramsey had to start somewhere, and look at how recognizable his brand is and how respected he is in the restaurant industry!
Have you ever found a company that you feel understands you? For me, the one that comes to mind is Costco and that loyalty rests solely on the back of the $1.50 hotdog. It always tastes great and I know that I’m going to get a simple yet amazing meal at the end of every shopping trip. Simple, sure, but it’s about consistency. Your business could be what comes to mind as long as you’ve built up and fostered a community that knows why you’re worth being loyal to. If you haven’t found that community, then that’s a perfect place to start!
You want people to think of your company as dependable and one that demands loyalty. A loyal customer base is one that you can count on to populate your location, eat your food, and sing your praises to their friends and family. This ensures you’re building a loyalty with your audience and creating a fan base of sorts, especially on social media. I read a research paper a few weeks ago that has resonated with me because it was data-driven in regards to social media and businesses. One of the data points they examined was loyalty of customers over the course of a year and what encouraged them go back to specific brands. “Customers who actively engaged with brands on social media platforms were a remarkable 22% more likely to make repeat purchases.”* Your brand can hinge on how you use your platforms, since almost a quarter of consumers who engage regularly with an account are more likely to come back.
This isn’t an end all, be all moment by any means but it is a factor to consider in both marketing potential and social media performance. Look at bigger brands and think about how that could apply to your business, how customers would make the choice for your business simply because you made intentional interactions foundational. I’ll use Costco as another example, purely from the food court standpoint. Since 1984, hot dogs have been available to the public for the luxurious price of $1.50. Ignoring the store itself, let’s focus solely on the food court. They offer food to shoppers at the same price (for some of the items) that they were when they were first introduced, and they promise quality. They have remained a staple at all locations across the globe for over 40 years because they made themselves a household name. If you examine your business from the same standpoint on a smaller scale, can you say the same?
I’m not saying that you have to be like the Kirkland brand with your prices or how you do business by any stretch. I simply aim to use them as an example of brand loyalty and staying power. It wasn’t an instantaneous win for Costco, as it took years to solidify their presence on the global scale. The hot dog is also a loss leader for the giant, which means they get people in the door for the hot dogs and goods at a loss on purpose. Customers go to Costco because they offer consistency; people know what they’re going to get when they walk in with no disruption. Here’s how that can apply to you: build your brand, particularly from a social media standpoint. Know what you stand for and what your goals are and make it clear to your audience that you have staying power, that you’re worth pursuing.
On the flip side, you also have to make sure to pursue your audience with intention. You can have a great company, a great business, a staple in your local community, but if you have social media that you aren’t utilizing, it’s leaving money on the table (so to speak). Consumers are more likely to come back if they’re interacting with a business on socials a quarter of the time. The customer matters and they have to feel that you believe that truth. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see your numbers higher than the average? It starts with understanding your audience and showing what you have to offer!