WHAT IS BRAND LOYALTY?
Brand loyalty is a customer's
commitment to repeatedly buy specific products from a particular brand or
company. This emotionally charged act extends to services, goods, and the
spread of a positive word-of-mouth message. When we think of a brand, it
is both the conscious and subconscious feelings that drive us to make a
purchase, not necessarily important factors like price, availability, or
functionality.
If a business can elicit a
positive emotional response when marketing a product, whether that's by gaining
a new customer or encouraging repeat transactions, then you've achieved brand
loyalty. Think of popular brands like Coca-Cola or Pepsi, Apple or
Microsoft. What images, thoughts, and feelings come to mind when you think
about each brand? The answer will vary depending on your own beliefs and
values.
Have a look at How brand image impact
on a business.
The answer to consumer loyalty to
different brands lies in psychological reasoning. This can be broken down
into two components: “willingness” defines our willingness to buy a product,
while “behavioral” loyalty triggers repeat purchases.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT DRIVES BRAND LOYALTY
The most critical factors for
brand loyalty are beliefs and dispositions, and both are behavioral
components. It doesn't matter whether they are based on facts or
perceptions, they will unintentionally shape the way we perceive
brands. The process of psychological reasoning takes into account our
attitudes towards a brand before making a judgment or making a purchasing
decision. We see brands as an extension of our identity and we like to
feel like part of something.
If our attitude is positive and a
brand shares our values, our engagement will continue, at least until our
values change over time, or until the brand no longer rewards our
loyalty. By compounding a poor rewards system with rising prices or poor
service, brand loyalty can easily be lost. Many of us know that brand
loyalty is good, but how useful can it be?
LONG-TERM ADVANTAGES EXIST FOR THOSE WHO RETAIN THE BRAND
The ROI of brand loyalty can be
difficult to quantify, mainly due to the time it takes to establish
it. That's not to say it's not worth investing because it’s quite the
opposite.
Brand loyalty can lower the cost
of acquiring new customers because your most loyal consumers are doing the work
for you. They become your most prominent advocates, promoting your
brand. Their loyalty is not only a valuable way to generate revenue, but
their continued support is also less costly to maintain - a direct result of
behavioral loyalty. Long-term brand loyalty has also demonstrated the
ability to:
- Give
your business a competitive advantage and secure its position.
- Facilitate
the launch of new products; they are better accepted.
- Allow
price increases without a negative impact on sales
ENCOURAGING BRAND LOYALTY
Understanding the importance of
brand loyalty is one aspect; the real challenge is to encourage loyalty in
the first place. Building a loyal consumer base is integral to any
successful business.
1: CREATE CONSISTENT AND EASY TO ACCESS CONTENT
If a product is readily available,
easy to read, and easy to understand, then you are already halfway to brand
loyalty. Simplicity is almost always favored by consumers. Therefore,
all content - whether on a website, in traditional media, or on social
media -
should be filled with your business values, in a simple and easy to digest
format. This extends to style, formatting, and choice of subject.
2: LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Some companies offer a loyalty
program for the sake of retaining their customers. While it is true that
such initiatives encourage repeat purchases, if the rewards are short-lived or
disproportionate to the products or services purchased, then they will be a
wasted investment. Here are three essential ways to make loyalty programs
work for you.
- Reinvest in programs that go even further for your most loyal customers.
- Partner with other businesses to
provide diverse and unique benefits
- Integration of loyalty points into
the entire customer experience
3: DEFINE YOUR ENEMY
Before applying war paints,
defining an enemy isn't a ruthless attack on your closest competitor. Rather,
it is about identifying the difference between you and another business to
emphasize the values of your own business. A classic example of a
marketing campaign focused on defining an enemy comes from Apple around 1984.
Apple advertised itself as cool,
young, and fashionable, while Microsoft was boring and bland. I'm not
saying Microsoft was a horrible company, but consumers could clearly see the
difference between Apple's values and Microsoft's, at least from Apple's
point of view. Marketing has made it easy for consumers to define their
own brand loyalty and choose a group to associate with.
4: CHOOSE A CELEBRITY THAT SUPPORTS YOU
Acting as an extension of your
brand, celebrity endorsement can reinforce how consumers perceive your business
values. The key, of course, is to choose a popular figure who stands for
the same values as your business. Find an influencer who shares the same
vision and evokes the same beliefs and feelings as your brand.
5: CYBEXO WORKS WITH YOU TO BUILD YOUR
BRAND LOYALTY
Brand loyalty is earned by
providing a great product or service with a clearly defined set of values
behind it. Long-standing, loyal customers will not only spend more, but
they'll help get your brand message across. If defining who you are as a brand seems daunting, Cybexo's team of experts works
with you to understand the goals, beliefs, and values you want to represent
in your content, whether it's a company biography, promotional material, or
anything else.
Knowing how to create concise,
personalized, and original content is at the heart of Cybexo's capabilities. Together,
we can help you capture the attention of your consumers and retain them by
conveying the values that are at the heart of your brand. Check Cybexo web development services in Canada and all their
other services that creates a strong brand image.
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