How customer loyalty can make or break your brand  

Acquiring (and keeping) a legion of loyal followers is the dream for most brands, especially as it can cost up to 5 times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one. Customer retention is, therefore, a big objective for many companies, but just how can you take it one step further and make your customers loyal to your brand?

Here are a few handy tips to foster loyalty among your customers:

1. Know and understand your audience

In the information age, audience insights are key. You need to fully understand your customers—what they want, what they like, what they don’t like, and what channels they like to communicate through—in order to get the best possible response.

Once you know the nuances of your target audience, you’re ready to move onto step 2: personalisation.

2. Personalise your offering

If we’ve learnt one thing in the past half a century, it’s that a one-size-fits-all communications strategy no longer fits the bill—Gone are the days of 1950’s mass communication where everyone is watching the same channel or listening to the same radio station. Instead, today’s savvy consumers want to be targeted personally with a product they personally are interested in, on a channel that they actively engage with. This is a sure-fire way to make sure your target audience see the product (and the brand) in the best possible light.

3. Invest in customer experience

Customer experience is by far the buzzword when considering customer loyalty. Creating an experience your customers will never forget (in a good way!) is the best way to guarantee repeat purchases.

Put another way: if you were interacting with a brand on social media or via phone who are slow to respond and unenthusiastic, you’re going to have that same sluggish and unenthused attitude towards the purchase. However, if a company goes out of their way to give you an unforgettable experience – quick service, enthusiastic, offering added value – then not only are you likely to purchase again with them, but you’re also likely to rave about the excellent service you’ve received to friends and family.

This goes to show that a simple investment in creating the best possible customer journey can lead to happy customers who stay loyal to your brand and even recommends your brand to others—before you know it, you have a legion of organic brand ambassadors!

4. Make customers feel valued

Taking the customer experience one step further, the golden rule for customer engagement is making the customers feel valued.

You need the customer just as much as they need you, so why not tell them that? Showing a little appreciation can go a long way in a world where switching between brands is the norm. Showing appreciation could well be the difference between someone being a one-time purchaser and becoming loyal to the brand.

So there we have it: by following these four simple steps, you’re well on the way to keeping your customers loyal to your brand.

Boxed Red can offer you more tailored advice for how you can encourage customer loyalty through your marketing. Get in touch today to see how we can help!