8 Ways to Create Brand Loyalists: How to Win and Retain Customers

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word brand? Do you see the image of the logo? Or do you see a product?

For most of us, we see the logo. The colors, shapes and symbols are vital to a brand’s image – They should be catchy enough to spark recognition, memorable enough to bring customers back, and ultimately unforgettable, to create long-lasting relationships. Obtaining familiarity is perhaps the greatest goal of creating brand loyalty, but it doesn’t stop with the image. The way to achieve an unforgettable brand in today’s world, as always, is to stand out amongst competitors by being exceptional in every way. Here are eight such pillars essential to winning and retaining loyal customers.

1. Build, distribute, and follow an omnichannel branding style guide.  First things first. Brand loyalty starts with brand recognition, as stated. But do your content-creating teams have access to a brand bible, or styling guide? If the answer is no, you’re fighting an uphill battle. Design is everything for brand trust – in fact, design-driven companies have outperformed the S&P Index by 219% over the past decade (Adobe) – and every brand needs a distinct design of its own. Companies pay large amounts for ad agencies to build style guides for their brands. At the very least, you should start the conversation with the core representatives of your brand and determine the key elements. Design Shack provides a great checklist. Applying the rules to reinforce brand recognition across all platforms is essential to omni-channel branding. You don’t want customers to question if they’re on the same site when they go from desktop to mobile because the fonts don’t match, or because the app has a different color scheme. Don’t leave social media out, either – Cross-platform should mean across all platforms!

2. Build a kick-ass CRM program. And make it easy to access. Hand customers a card and ask them if they’d like to be part of the club. No one likes to hear “Would you like to sign up for a _____ membership today?” at the register. But when you’re asked “Are you a part of _____ Insider?” There’s a bit more intrigue. Offer real, exclusive deals that are beneficial to your loyal customers. Instead of mentioning the tedious process of recording personal information (“signing up”), have your sales associates mention those benefits at step one. Depending on your audience, these benefits could include discounts or program benefits. For instance, if your brand is for mass-market consumers, mention sales and discount coupons. “On top of getting a birthday present every year, you’ll also be the first to know when your favorite items go on sale.”

If it is a luxury brand, mention benefits of utility, such as the program’s capacity to store previously-bought sizes and styles. HNW customers might be interested in private fittings for custom tailoring, and exclusive events for viewing the new season’s collection. But above all, make sure the benefits are customized. In today’s world, there is no reason why your CRM package shouldn’t be capable of targeting content for your tailored audiences.

3. Take care of the locals. There is nothing better for your brick-and-mortar store than local foot traffic. And there is no better way to build local brand loyalty than to have a built-in discount for returning customers. When a big brand gives discounts like a local store, customers will come back every time. This is something few brands take advantage of, perhaps because of cost – but if you get that customer in your store 5x more a year, you’re going to see nothing but ROI for the 10% lost. Give them a card that says “Friends of _______.”  This will go a long way with word-of-mouth advertising.

4. Create good, useful content. But that sounds so simple, right? It’s harder than you’d think. Many brands find it very very difficult to give up the traditional model of sell, sell, sell, with their content – but these days the opposite method is where the reward lies, for both, business and consumer. Check out Content Inc. and Contently for direction here. If you must sell, seek the 70-20-10 method.

5. Make use of the mailing list. Many brands avoid reaching out to their customers too much because they don’t want to offend or oversaturate consumers’ email boxes. But if you offer the right kind of useful content, there will be no complaints. Believe it or not, some mailing lists are incredibly useful for their users, to the point where users anticipate reading the next update. You have complete control over your mailing list, unlike social media accounts. Put it out, and it will be seen.

6. Reward customers for growing the community. Referral rewards are a great way to promote word-of-mouth advertising. WeWork, for instance, gives 10% of an entire year of rented office space for new patron recommendations. Handy is a new app which gives both the recommender and the prospect a $35 discount every time a new customer signs up. That’s a great reason to recommend a new friend, right? Minibar offers $10 off of the first order and $10 off of the recommender’s order. These initiatives have been around forever, but the sheer organic access the internet gives users of such applications determines an entirely new playing field where referral reward programs can truly take brands to new places.

7. Be funny. David Ogilvy once famously said that people don’t buy from clowns, but these days people are coming pretty damn close. In fact, some advertising agencies are even hiring the Upright Citizens Brigade for training workshops. Humor is certainly on the rise in advertising – However, it is important to note where your brand lies on the spectrum. Funny doesn’t have to be clownish. Learning your voice, what your tones are, and where you plan to implement them is essential to your message.

8. Get social. Social media provides untold benefits, as marketing researchers are uncovering every year. The consumer data alone should be enough to get anyone excited about what insights social media offers businesses. Many channels offer businesses a perfect window into the buyer behavior of its user base, and that information is gold.

For instance, if an apparel retailer discovers 80% of their San Francisco Facebook users go to the gym on a weekly basis, they might be inclined to run a special on gym clothes in San Fran. This is just skimming the surface of how social media marketing can be used to target audiences. And let’s not forget Facebook’s recent announcement that they are transitioning towards e-commerce, making the move to social easier than ever.  There is no reason not to take advantage of these incredible resources.

Is your brand covering all of these bases? While each tier requires varied amounts of time and resources to build, the best recipe for brand loyalty is maintaining consistency within every pillar. Customers want dependability and familiarity, so put effort into how the brand looks and feels to build trust. Invite your audience into the brand story with a solid CRM program and plenty of rewards. Keep the mailing list and social channels active with engaging, premium content, and don’t forget to add a dash of humor – to taste.

Read more tips to build your brand loyalty and How Fashion Brands Should Use Instagram: 7 Tips Everyone Should Know.