Loyalty isn’t just for dogs
When you need to buy some cheese, or some facial tissues or a quick pasta dinner, which companies come to mind first? Every day, we make decisions about how to spend our money based on our brand perceptions.
In Canada, we are more brand loyal than our American counterparts. We like the brands we know and trust, the brands that deliver a level of quality and service that has remained consistent over the years. We will spend a little more to ensure we give our kids the same gooey grilled cheese sandwich we had as kids, or to know that a drippy nose can be handled with one tissue, not three. We make these choices because the brands continually deliver on their promise.
So when someone is searching for a product or service that you provide, how and why do they choose you?
What is it about your brand that makes a client choose you over someone else? You turned up in a search, but what made the difference? Your photo? Your video? You have to answer your “why” in the most compelling way. The customer found you, now give them an inarguable reason to choose you, to trust your brand. Brand recognition is built over time, and as I discussed in a previous post, can be enhanced with video.
Dedicate some time to examining your business from your client’s perspective. There is an old trick from the retail world that can help you see things differently: walk backwards. Merchandisers would walk backwards into a store they have set up to see things with fresh eyes. It’s a simple step, but it will completely alter the way you see your business. When offering a service or product, the simplest way to determine what your customer experiences is to experience your own business. Take a step outside your business and take a look at what your customers are seeing.
Make sure what your brand offers is miles above the rest and consistently offers a positive experience. Make sure it is something which would make you stick around and become brand loyal.