Top Tips on Building Brand Loyalty

Customer loyalty is disappearing in a hurry. Consumers put less trust in brands and tend to switch brands a lot faster.

This shift is putting quite a few established marketing tactics in doubt.

Why customer loyalty is down

Consumers these days compare companies to the ‘best-in-class’. If a market leader doesn’t question a faulty delivery or deals with problems immediately, they will expect the same of every business they deal with.

Digitisation makes everything transparent.

The fast adoption of smartphones and tablets has further enhanced transparency. The online world has made price transparency very accessible, a trend that spells danger for any company out there.

Addressing motivation.

When they are disloyal, clients are really saying that a product or service was not relevant enough for them to remain a customer. We have to put more thought into the role a brand has to play in consumers’ lives. The relationship now needs to be closer to emotion, rather than rational.

Back to basics

If companies are to survive, they will not only have to work more efficiently; they will also have to build a unique added value for their customers. Modern consumers expect companies to act properly. Enhancing a brand’s credibility in the market involves treating customers well, treating employees well, and doing well for society.

When given a choice, no one will buy anything of importance from you unless they trust you.

The 5 ‘C’s of Trust:

Character

Every discussion of trust begins here. Character defines the way you treat yourself as well as others, demonstrating basic principles such as honesty, dependability, and duty

Competence

A reputation for honesty is useless if it is matched with incompetence.

Communication

Communication is everything and everything communicates when building trust. Great presentations are nice. A reputation for listening and caring is the stuff of legends.

Consistency

Confidence in your consistency frees customers from worry.

Courage

Are you willing to do what’s right, even when it is not convenient.

Customers are now smarter and more vocal than ever. They will find out and let others know if they can or can’t trust you. Most important, they will reward your trustworthiness with their loyalty.

A Message to Managers

Successful brands are built on trust in products, services, and relationships. That doesn’t happen unless leaders also apply the same trust factors above to relationships within their team, thereby building a sense of loyalty and desire to be part of the firm’s success.

Every Customer Must be a Brand Advocate

To compete in today’s saturated markets retailers must realize one thing — it’s all about the experience, brands that create a holistic, memorable and exceptional experience for customers will find how valuable brand loyalty is. It encourages buyers to evangelize your products or services, allowing you to reallocate some of the marketing budget.

Create a galvanising online experience

When building and maintaining your internet presence, think of the audience. What are the most important things they need to know? What is your best selling item and is it easy to find? For repeat visitors, make it simple to find the products they love, and help them to look for new ones. If they’ve already made it to your website, make them want to come back again and again!

Provide simple and free returns

If you have a mail order operation, this could elevate buyer confidence, purchasing items online can be intimidating and the promise of an uncomplicated return could be reassuring. Customers can often be put off with the difficulty of returning items in short windows of time or paying extra to post it back.

Gifts

Small tokens of appreciation or free samples could help with your brand awareness. Adding that bit extra to transactions will mark you as out of the ordinary, and customers will remember. Digging through those dusty boxes at the back of the store you will likely find products you can afford to give away in the name of boosting consumer experience.

Using these few tips you can begin to boost brand loyalty and get your customers talking. Just remember, be consistent in the experience you provide and communicate these values across the company.