Let’s talk branding to build loyalty in your customer base.
Does your company have a brand that can be represented in every division of your company? If so, does that brand consist of the goals and a story that distinguishes your company from others in your industry?
Your business needs a story that doesn’t just consist of a backstory or history, but goals and morals, because that is what’s important to your customers. In today’s world, this is what your consumers are loyal to, not your product, because there are many other companies with the same one. Your focus in your marketing strategy should be on building an emotional connection to consumers to strengthen relational ties.
A Forbes article by Celinne Da Costa explains the future of marketing, “In this environment, businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities. To survive, businesses need to connect with audiences, pull at their heartstrings, and engage with them on a much deeper level than seen before.”. Celinne says it well and goes on to explain three ways storytelling impacts your customer base. Remembrance, community, and humanity.
Do you want your audience to remember you? Build an emotional connection with them. Give them a “why” to connect to. Why did you start your company? Why are your goals what they are? Why do you sell the products that you do? This “why” gives a consumer a sense of meaning inside your company and a feeling that you truly care about doing what is right for them.
Are you struggling to keep customers around because there is no word of mouth about your company? Build a community. Your brand should be a place of connection for your consumers. Not only should loyal customers flock to your store, website, and social media, for products but also answers. Are there unanswered questions about products you sell, or myths that need to be busted? Be the leader in answering the needs of your customers to start a conversation inside your customer base.
Do you struggle with returning customers? Give your brand the feeling of humanity. Consumers want to connect emotionally with a company. This one is confusing. How do you take an inanimate object and make it have a face? This goes back to our “why” questions. Consumers find ties in why you do what you do and what you care about. Making sure your “whys” align with your target market builds loyalty. Is your why sustainability in clothing? Is your why humanely raised animal products? Is your why helping those in need to build our societal structure? Look into what your generational market cares about and make sure you care too.
Use these notes to build a story for your company and use it in your sale strategy, content marketing, and operations. Make sure your company is worth more than just a product to your consumers.
Costa, C. D. (2019, February 2). 3 reasons why brand storytelling is the future of marketing. Forbes. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/celinnedacosta/2019/01/31/3-reasons-why-brand-storytelling-is-the-future-of-marketing/?sh=67ae0c7455ff