Sure, it’s great to have customers buy your products or services from time to time. But how many of them come back and buy again?
Chances are, not as many as you’d like.
So how do you change that and make yourself stand out? One way is by creating a brand your customers fall in love with.
Of course, that is a lot easier said than done.
But, if your brand is struggling to gain repeat customers and buyers who rave about you, there are some tactics you can take to start changing the game.
Speak to Emotion
Consumers are notoriously driven by emotion (no matter how much they will argue otherwise). We know this because of psychology. In fact, Harvard Business School Professor Gerald Zaltman has found that as much as 95% of buying decisions are subconscious.
This is where many brands fail to make a connection with consumers. They don’t hit on the emotions that are driving their potential customers.
Look to understand the true motivations behind your ideal customer. That means listening to their wants and needs, embracing feedback, and interacting with them on a regular basis through a number of marketing streams.
Wow with Customer Service
Hand in hand with understanding your ideal consumer is digging deep into how you can best serve your current customers, and that means providing outstanding customer service.
So many brands are leaving customer service as an afterthought in the buying process, to disastrous effects, both on the overall impression of the brand and the bottom line.
Here are a few more stats that should grab your attention:
- “It is 6-7 times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer”
- 53% of customers switch brands because they “feel unappreciated”
- “73% of consumers say friendly customer service reps can make them fall in love with a brand“
So work to be different. Pay attention to your customers after they buy as well. Nurture their interest. Follow up with them. Delight them with special discounts and benefits to keep them in love with your brand.
Create Valuable Content
You can’t just blog for blogging sake anymore. Those days are over. Consumers are savvy. They are often doing their own research first before they buy, and that includes visiting a your brand’s blog to see what kind of information you are putting out there.
Impress potential customers by going above and beyond with the content you put out there. That means writing engaging, educational, and informative content, sharing videos, holding webinars, and sharing on social media, just to name a few.
Content matters to consumers. In fact, a study by Content+ found that interesting content is one of the top three reasons why a potential customer will follow a brand.
Look Good
Appearance matters as well. Do what you can to make sure you brand is presenting a website that is up to date and attractive. Studies have found that visitors will abandon a webpage if it doesn’t load quickly (and by quickly we mean 4 seconds or less).
It’s also really important to make sure your site is mobile responsive. With more and more people using their mobile devices not only to browse websites, but to shop, a bad experience can turn them away.
Here’s a stat on this from Keynote:
“46% of mobile users report having difficulty interacting with a web page, and 44% complain that navigation was difficult.”
Clearly, it’s worth it to make sure your website can be clearly navigated both via desktop and mobile devices.
Embrace the Love
Remember, your customers are your greatest champions so you want to do what you can to establish these strong connections with them. Use these strategies and tips to build a brand that your customers will love and want to share with others.
The effort certainly will be worth it.