4 Ways to Become a Beloved Brand
If you do your homework, you know that the brands that succeed do more than watch the bottom line. Increasing customer loyalty is the best way to increase your sales. You want your target audience to return and recommend you to everyone they know.
How do you generate that kind of loyalty? Again, this is a strategy that requires some patience. But if done well, you could help your business rise to the top.
1.Give them news they can USE.
A potential customer is always asking, “What’s in it for me?” After all, why should anyone care if you’ve won awards or others in your industry think you’re great? How does that affect your customers? If you offer a blog, chat sessions and other places where you can provide informative content, not just about you and how your business is doing, but RELEVANT to your industry content you’re going to make an impression. Try to solve problems or address concerns related to your industry.
Many people go online in search of an answer to a problem. How to keep cats off a lawn, how to refinish floors without using toxic chemicals, how to tell when your air filters need changing, etc. There are questions, and you provide solutions to those questions your ideal target audience will come back for more, and recommend you. If you sell used cars, what should customers look for when buying used versus brand new? What are the benefits of buying used? If you can give helpful, useful information, your core audience will take notice.
Remember, informative content is NOT advertising. As we’ve said in previous posts, it positions you as an authority in your industry and helps to gain the trust of your audience. Resist the urge to say how great you are. Your content will reveal that.
2.Don’t just make the sale—make a connection.
There’s no way to quantify the value of an emotional connection, but it is definitely powerful. Tell your company’s story. Did you struggle at first, then came up with a great idea that would help people? Everyone loves to be inspired. Even though time seems limited for most people, they will wake up and pay attention to a story that moves them. This is why the film Joy is so successful—it’s about the woman who invented a special mop. Entrepreneurs who tell their story on Shark Tank gain immediate interest, which translates to success, because audiences are able to see the people behind the products and see how passionate they are about what they do.
3.Value your biggest fans.
There’s no better advertising than customers who are already loyal. Offer them something. Referral programs can give them good incentives to refer others to your business. Loyalty programs are a great way to say thank-you to these customers. Offer them free branded merchandise for doing business with you. Ask them if they can give you a testimonial about their great experience with your company and services. It carries more weight than anything a company spokesperson can say, because many people are cynical. They are used to being pitched things and “marketed to” all the time. Hearing from real people who had a great experience is more valuable than you know.
4.Master your content.
Set goals for what you want your content to achieve, and in what formats you want to use. Stay tuned to our next blog where we’ll talk about the “Art of Mastering Online Content.” It’s a must-see, so check back next week!
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