Brand loyalty is, of course, very important for companies to turn customer acquisitions into customer retention. However, it is increasingly difficult to appeal to consumers through traditional advertising and to differentiate yourself from other brands. Despite this, one key element that tends to drive this brand loyalty is customer engagement.
Rather than just reaching your audience or gaining impressions, fostering engagement with your customers tends to be more memorable and emotionally connected. But encouraging this engagement can be difficult, too. That’s why we’ve put together five key strategies for unlocking brand loyalty through customer engagement to keep your audience coming back for more. Let’s get into it!
1. Branded Content
Branded content differs from traditional paid media advertising in that it is a company’s owned media, often created to generate earned media. This is important in a few ways. First, there is no need to worry about what your content is next to, since it is on your page or platform. Second, it bypasses the ever-growing trend of ad blockers. And, most importantly, it alleviates audience fatigue.
Consumers see ads everywhere, and many are annoyed by their constant presence. They have learned to scroll past, turn to other content, or click skip as fast as possible – and can you really blame them? Branded content avoids this issue by looking like and appearing next to other media content that your audience wants to see. In addition, it serves a function for the customer, independent of a sales pitch. Whether it is entertaining, educational, informative, or just engaging, it must be content that the audience would look for or be attracted to anyway. This can range from web content to mini-films and everything in between! This creates more of a brand ambience or brand awareness than a hard sell, benefiting and hooking the customer.
2. Purpose Marketing
Purpose or activist marketing is another way to appeal to the fatigued consumer and differentiate your brand. Purpose marketing involves supporting a social cause through brand activities. This can be through products, educational content, financial support, and more! The key reason this engages customers is because it appeals to their emotions.
Consumers these days care about social and political causes, especially if your target audience is Gen Z. They want to see that your brand is more than just a product for profit and is something they can connect with. Creating that emotional bond makes your brand more memorable and trustworthy in a consumer’s eyes, encouraging them to pick your brand over another and keep coming back to support you.
3. Personalize Interactions
This strategy is also about creating that emotional connection. While many tasks can be streamlined through automation, customer interactions are not always the best place to do this. While chatbots can answer basic questions, creating a quick, seamless, and helpful brand experience can sometimes be more beneficial for your brand.
Many customers value good customer service. Personalizing and improving your interactions with them makes your brand stand out and may even be the difference between a customer choosing you or your competitor in the future. Overall, connecting to your customers and showing them that they are valued is a key strategy to gaining their loyalty.
4. Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing is a great way to think outside of the box and break through that audience fatigue we discussed earlier. Guerrilla marketing involves using unconventional and often offline spaces to market to your audience. Avoiding traditional ad spaces or strategies makes your marketing stand out from other brands and is usually interesting. The element of surprise in seeing these forms of media in unexpected places also makes them more memorable.
Stickers in urban spaces, branded graffiti, or ad space used in unconventional ways are just a few of the possibilities guerrilla marketing offers. While it is usually offline, it often provides shareable content that can go viral and gain organic media attention. This is a great way to generate excitement or interest in your brand through engagement with your content!
5. Loyalty Programs
While these first four strategies were more innovative, newer ideas, we should not forget the tried-and-true classics. Loyalty programs can be a significant factor when customers are deciding where to buy from. Whether it’s a points system or member discounts/benefits, let’s face it – people like free stuff! Simply offering a loyalty program can really drive, well, loyalty!
In addition, a membership card or something similar can create a familial or connected feeling for customers. They feel like they have a more exclusive connection with your brand. This feeling can even make them more likely to promote your brand through word of mouth. Whether it’s posting about the deal they just got or telling their friend about it over dinner, this customer engagement provides their brand loyalty, and maybe even attracts more customer acquisitions!
Standing out in an oversaturated media environment can be difficult, but implementing these strategies can make a big difference. For marketing advice or services, contact unLOCKEd today!
Author: Sarah Murphy
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