In 2016, Social Media Today published an article titled “4 Marketing Strategies to Make Consumers Love Your Brand” which provides a range of tips on how to achieve exactly that.
And this is the ultimate goal, right? Inspiring people to fall in love with something you’ve spent sleepless nights creating, missing out on social time with friends, heading to meetings with days old bags under your eyes, hours of doubt, all while you wonder if people truly will like what you do.
Posted two years ago, the article is still garnering hundreds of views each month, as people will forever Google “how do I make people fall in love with my brand?” as they search for the holy grail answer.
Asked to update this, I began thinking: what makes me fall in love with anyone?
After all, a brand is just like a person – made up of life, breathing, espousing ideals and goals, and constantly changing and evolving, much like any human you might fall in love with. People make up your brand, your company, and after we’ve decided we need to look for a certain product to fill a need, what makes us keep purchasing from that brand?
That’s right, it’s the people behind it. We do business with people like us, people that understand us and are there for us when we need. People who believe in the same things we do, and that listen to us.
Following the original post, here are my additional “4 Marketing Strategies to Make Consumers Love Your Brand.”
1. Engage
I can’t stress this enough – the more you speak with your consumers, the more they get to know you. The more people get to know you, the more they trust you. And people buy from people they trust.
75% of consumers say they make buying decisions based on their emotions, and as such, none of the time you spend getting to know people, and finding out what they want to know and need, is ever wasted.
The more you can connect with your consumers, the closer you are to turning a casual buyer into a loyal customer. In a recent Gensler brand engagement survey, 94% of respondents said they would be highly likely to recommend a brand they were emotionally engaged with.
2. Create content for “1 person”
When you write for everyone, you connect with no one. Content strategy isn’t one-size-fits all, because people aren’t all one size.
When I sit down to write for a brand, I like to have a specific person in mind who I’m writing to. And I write just like I talk, using the same language I would if I were sitting in front of that person, having a live conversation with them.
Through social listening and engaging with consumers, what have they told you they’re looking for? Write that.
People will engage with your content when it’s solution based, not product based.
3. Surprise & Delight
Surprises can help show people that they matter to you, and that you’re listening to them. For brands, these surprises are often a way to create immediate emotional connection with consumers, leading to a deeper sense of brand loyalty and advocacy.
While turning this into a marketing tactic might sound a bit off-putting, smart marketers understand what’s behind the idea of “surprise and delight.” Brands are employing surprise and delight strategies (also known as “Random Acts of Kindness”) on social media, through sponsored events, in-store demonstrations, advertising and more. “Surprise and delight” is going one better.
Taking customer service a step further, you should work to anticipate the needs of your consumers, and offer a solution before they even realize they have one. Not only is this a great way to create buzz and brand loyalty with current fans and consumers, but it’s also a great way to build, find and connect with new consumers, thanks to social media and the fact that most people, when delighted, will share their experience.
4. Stay consistent
How long would you keep dating someone that was unreliable?
How long do you think customers stick around if your brand isn’t?
Remember – there are a million other brands just like yours. What sets you apart is you and your team. That means that people need to see consistency in every touchpoint, however it is that they see or interact with your brand.
Maintaining consistency lets people know what to expect, and raises the intrinsic value of your company. Your images, content and delivery are all pieces to keep consistent.
There are many more ways to develop and deepen relationships – hopefully these points serve as good starters to get your creative mind thinking on the possibilities.