Obtaining and retaining loyal customers are a priority of every business. Loyal customers are those who will purchase your products regardless of the price and will prefer you over other brands. The road to a loyal customer base is certainly not an easy one. But with the right branding strategies, you can encourage more people to patronize your brand and turn them into happy and loyal customers.
Know your customers
Behind every successful branding strategy is a deep understanding of your target customers. By knowing what they need and want, you can cater not only your products or services but also your marketing initiatives. But how do you get to know your customers better? The best and most accurate approach is by looking at data. You can run a survey, get feedback from those who already tried your products and services, and talk to them. Use all available data, such as behavioral data, web analytics, purchase behavior, online or offline profitability, and so much more. Consistently reframe the existing data and insights to make sure you are looking only at quality data.
Connect with them
Thanks to the new technology, reaching out to customers has gotten incredibly easier these days. Just because they have already purchased from you doesn’t mean your relationship with that customer should end. Your goal is to turn your customers into your brand advocates who will not only be buying your products or services over again but will be more than happy to endorse your company for free!
So how do you connect with your customers? There are many ways to do so. One is through email marketing. Encourage them to subscribe to your mailing list so you can keep them posted with the latest product updates, discounts, and special offers. Another is by creating an active social media following. Stay connected with your customers by posting photos, video clips, greetings, and other contents, in addition to your product updates and special offers. While it isn’t as costly as traditional advertising, online marketing does have a cost too. It is important to include it in your budget. A good thing is there are online loans that can help small business owners employ strategic digital marketing campaigns to attract more customers.
Be sure to stay relevant
You want to build relationships with your current and past customers. If you’re sending them emails, for example, make sure that you are providing them information that addresses their needs or are relevant to them. Sending a discount coupon for men’s apparel to female clients does not only cause frustration but can also break customers’ trust.
Reward them
What could be a better way to establish loyal customers than to reward them? As a way to acknowledge them and show your appreciation, come up with a loyalty reward program for your customers. Whether it’s a freebie, an exclusive offer, a fun event for VIP customers, a discount voucher, or a “thank you” note for patronizing your brand for a year or so, rewarding your customers is the ultimate way to make them stay.
Create valuable online contents
When people search online for products or services, they are looking for valuable information that will help them make a good buying decision. Aside from promoting your brand online, you should also make it a priority to help people find solutions to their problems. Regularly update your website and social media pages with helpful contents. For example, if you’re an auto dealer, you can publish articles to give car owners tips to maintain their vehicle, find the car that fits their lifestyle, or how to choose car insurance.
Give your customers positive experiences
Experiential marketing is the next big thing. With so many companies offering similar products or services with you, it can be hard to keep up and stay on top of the competition. You need to be creative with your marketing approach. A relatively new but very powerful concept is experiential marketing. It is focused on giving consumers a unique experience. This means you don’t just serve food in your restaurant, you want to make your customers’ dining experience special by offering something different, whether it’s serving the food in artisan silverware, preparing their meal in front of them, or sprucing up your space to make it look like they are in a different dimension.
Having a well-defined marketing strategy is your starting point towards creating a pool of happy and loyal customers. Fortunately, there are so many branding strategies that you can try, from building positive relationships to rewarding customers, creating valuable online contents, and providing customers with a unique and positive experience. Of course, it all starts with knowing your customers. By understanding their needs and wants, you can tailor your branding strategies to get the results you want.
