Building your brand is more than a nice idea; it’s a necessity, as is understanding the connect between brand awareness and loyalty.
In today’s competitive marketplace, creating loyal customers is an essential skill that helps you establish and maintain relationships with buyers so you can encourage more purchases. It’s important for building trust and connection, and it’s a way to draw in an audience. Also, for many small businesses, it’s the game-changer between survival and success.
Why This Matters
Did you know that when customers recognize and remember your brand, they’re more likely to buy from you? Are you already working to build brand recognition in a way that creates long-term connections with a target audience? If not, it’s time to take this tactic seriously.
No matter what your specific industry or product line, here’s what you need to remember as a small business owner: Greater brand awareness can increase customer loyalty. This matters because loyal customers are gold. They help you increase profits and generate recurring sales. They organically promote your business to others. The bottom line is, when you create loyal customers, you develop a way to stay afloat and keep growing for the long haul.
What You Can Do
Considering the importance of brand awareness and loyalty, it’s worthwhile to invest in these areas. If you’re ready to create stronger ties with clients, here are some tips:
- Be consistent in all messaging. The first step in building connection with customers is communicating a consistent message. This makes it possible for people to know who you are and why they should engage with you. Make your brand feel the same across all media platforms, and keep reiterating the same values and mission to be sure it’s understood.
- Align your company’s values with your target audience. Speaking of values, seek to make your business’s values match those of your target audience. Almost 90% of customers say they’ll stay loyal to brands that agree with what they think is important. Whether that means a focus on kindness, eco-friendliness, diversity or something else, make sure to highlight those values so prospective customers who share them have a deep reason to stick with you.
- Create a customer loyalty program. Make it easier for customers to remember your brand and its products through a robust loyalty program. Provide points for purchases that accumulate over time. Send interactive content and relevant coupons to members. Allow shoppers to earn rewards for brand loyalty. Give them incentives to stick with your brand. Not only does this encourage repeat business, but it also boosts word-of-mouth referrals. Over 70% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand with a great loyalty program.
- Always address negative feedback. While you obviously want to delight customers so much that they’re eager to return, sometimes you’ll have unhappy clients. More than half of customers will stop using a brand if their negative review goes unaddressed, so always take feedback seriously and address complaints. Openly and honestly respond to issues on social media too.
- Use branded swag. Reinforce your name and messaging with custom-branded swag such as T-shirts. By giving away branded products at events and promotions, you can increase loyalty as well as spread the word about your business. In fact, branded shirts generate an average of 3,400 impressions over their lifetimes.
The Connection Between Brand Awareness and Loyalty
Whether you run a local coffee shop or an online company, when you want to grow a business, one great place to start is with brand recognition and loyalty. Invest in relationships with people who enjoy your business, and you’ll build a strong foundation for future growth. For more information in addition to the ideas above, consult the accompanying infographic. It includes several statistics and tips relating to brand awareness and loyalty, aimed at helping you improve the bottom line.
Infographic created by Pacific Brandwear, a recycled apparel company}
