Deloitte conducted a study that shows brands engage with their consumers more than they did in the past. Communication flows in both directions, as customers want to speak with brands and have these brands listen to what they have to say. Loyal fans expect the relationship to go even further. They want the brands they love to know them and what they need.
Nevertheless, companies find they must walk a fine line between being friendly with customers and becoming so obtrusive they turn customers away for good. Some companies find this balance easily, but other businesses struggle when it comes to brand communication. What does every business owner need to know about finding this balance?
Focus on the Customer
People rarely want to be friends with someone who puts their wants and needs first at all times. A friendship should go both ways, even when the relationship is between a company and a consumer. Ensure the customer remains the focus of all brand communications. A failure to do so could lead to the loss of customers and the end of the brand. How can a company ensure they focus their efforts on customers?
Offer a brand story that highlights the pain points the customer is experiencing. For example, Infantile Industries, an embroidery company, might create a video that tells the story of a company that purchased shirts from a competitor. The shirts didn’t hold up well and the purchaser was out a significant amount of money. In the video, the embroidery company could explain how the technique they use when creating shirts is different and how the shirts will hold up even with frequent use.
The average user can relate to this type of story. They understand what the company when through when it spent money only to find the product was inferior. They appreciate knowing there is an alternative they can turn to that will provide the quality they desire. The focus is on the value the product will add to their lives, and they recognize this.
Try New Things
Pay attention to current trends. Although a company doesn’t need to try every new thing that comes along, it never hurts to branch out and offer something new, particularly when it comes to digital marketing. Every company must maintain an online presence today to remain relevant in their industry. Companies find they have numerous opportunities to engage with consumers online and build relationships.
Each engagement with the audience serves a purpose. Many business owners chose to overlook TikTok as a marketing channel when it first launched. They assumed only teenagers made use of the site that offers short videos. However, they realized their mistake when they saw how quickly the site gained in popularity.
While TikTok may not be the appropriate channel for your business, that doesn’t mean other channels can be ignored. Every business must know where its audience moves and move with them. Doing so ensures the brand doesn’t fall behind competitors when a new communication option launches.
Personalization
People love being recognized for what makes them unique. When a company manages to make a customer feel valued and special, this individual becomes a loyal fan. Furthermore, they often share the experience with their family, friends, and followers.
One way to personalize communications is to engage with customers one-on-one. Chat options make this goal easy to achieve. Customers find chat to be relevant, less intrusive and empowering to them. However, this serves as only one way to personalize brand communications.
Consumers often use multiple avenues when engaging with a brand. Ensure their preferences are shared across each avenue to show that you care about them and know what they like. In addition, consider providing them with small tokens of appreciation to show gratitude for their business.
Anticipate Their Needs
Emotions play a role in consumer purchases, and brands need to recognize this when creating marketing materials. Research shows the consumer’s emotional response to marketing materials plays a larger role in whether they make a purchase than the content of the ad itself. If consumers like an ad, they are more likely to make a purchase.
When a person feels emotion, they feel compelled to take action. For instance, a dislike of something leads the individual to avoid this item. On the other hand, if the emotion they feel when they encounter a brand is positive, they are more likely to engage with that brand to learn more. They want to feel that emotion again.
Vary Communication Channels
In the past, companies relied on television advertisements and printed marketing materials to get their message out. While these methods remain useful today, brands need to expand their communication channels to reach more customers. Actually, brands often find they achieve great success when they don’t say anything. They appeal to the other senses to generate emotions within the consumer.
Most people love the taste and smell of freshly baked bread. A restaurant can benefit from this by offering free bread to people passing by the restaurant. They don’t have to say anything about the other options on the menu. All they need to do is let each person taste and smell the bread. Often, this is enough to create the connection and have the person coming back to see what else the restaurant offers.
The restaurant created this connection by engaging the senses. It didn’t rely on written text or a video to do so, which helped it stand out from the crowd. Every time the person smells or tastes fresh bread in the coming days, weeks, and months, they’ll likely bring to mind the restaurant where they had it and consider a return visit.
Brands recognize the world has changed greatly as a result of the global pandemic. People make more purchases online. However, they still want to connect with brands, as they like to know where their money goes. Make brand communication a priority to ensure customers are drawn to your business and return when they wish to make purchases. Companies that do so find they see a boost in sales and customers that remain loyal for life. No business owner can ask for more.
