3 ways to make customers fall in love with your brand

Connecting with your customer is key

LOVE. It’s a big word, an even bigger emotion and has the potential to endure a lifetime.

Head of Marketing at Moneypenny, Hannah Stringer, shares her advice on how to attract customers to your brand and build a long-lasting (and mutually beneficial) relationship…

As marketeers looking to sell our product or service it’s the holy grail of the consumer relationship – attracting customers in the first place then wooing them over time to remain dedicated to your brand.

Any business, looking at the way it goes about marketing, has choices. You can go for the quick win –promising the earth and using flash gimmicks to generate impulsive `lustful’ responses. And yes, they may satisfy your sales figures for the short term but will they stand the test of time?

The answer is no. What you really want is the security of a long-term bond with your customers based on loyalty, trust, appreciation and desire. So, how can you achieve that?

1. Love at first sight – getting noticed

In marketing less can be more. Know who you are looking to appeal to and tailor your approach accordingly. Don’t make assumptions. Do your homework and understand your target audience (there are plenty of analytical tools to help here). Find out what they want and need, and talk to them in the language, at a time and in places likely to resonate most – be it face to face (events/networking), online, social media, printed materials, advertising, over the telephone. Often a carefully structured mixture of all of these is best. Extol your qualities – be positive not arrogant; building your brand image and personality with strong, good-looking content, great images and eye-catching marketing that will set you apart from the competition.

Don’t make assumptions. Do your homework and understand your target audience.

2. Show you care – be consistent and deliver great service

We all want to feel special. To be cared for and looked after. It’s human instinct. The same is true of your customers, so the way they feel about your brand will largely determine their behaviour towards it, and therefore your ability to move your relationship with them to the next level. Be clear and consistent in your messaging and style and `walk in your customers’ shoes’ at every opportunity to help you deliver the `wow’ service that will bolster your bond.  It’s amazing how quickly word will spread about the quality of your brand – winning you new friends and ambassadors along the way.

3. A happy future? – don’t overdo it or the honeymoon could be over

So you’ve wooed your customer and they’re now committed to your brand. Your job is to now stay attractive for the long haul and develop a loyal follower, especially when there’s always the chance that the initial excitement of your union can start to wear off. Continue to surprise, delight and over-deliver. Keep the relationship fresh and never take it for granted. The trick is to communicate enough and in the right way to keep your customer on board without being too pushy or annoying to the point of turn-off. Listen to your customers, nurture them, reward them and there’s every chance they’ll be sticking around.