7-tips-to-improve-your-brand-loyalty-through-social-mediaThe consumer brand loyalty is no different than the loyalty a man has for his friend. A good friend is your biggest asset and long-term investment you make to retain this relationship symbolizes your yearning for appreciation. A loyal consumer is nothing less than a good friend.

Trusting in the things consumers buy is what leads to repeat purchases, adding value to the brand in the process. The branding process has evolved and millennials are exposed to their share of company marketing through social media. Easy accessibility and captivating features have made building brand loyalty much simpler, yet the competition is intense because consumers expect the same value from brick and mortar establishments. Social media is the perfect platform where vast majority of the research takes place. Therefore, here are some tips assembled for you to get noticed and occupy customers’ full attention.

Share Your Story

What makes your brand unique? Why should a customer choose you over some other equally well or even better brand? What is your unique selling proposition? All these questions determine your brand story. As cited in inc, if you ask brand managers of big firms like Nike, Apple, Microsoft, they’ll tell you that it took them ages to build their brand loyalty. However, it’s not the same as it was 15-20 years ago. The internet has changed how we reach our audience, market our brands and most importantly, how we tell our stories. This story should communicate the personality, values and experiences the brand represents and not just a list of products and services the business offers to target demographics. Plans to retain customers often miscarries due to insisting on purchase. Keeping these facts in mind, create strategies to trace people back to your business by imprinting the brand image in peoples’ mind through your brand story.

Connect With the Person

Social media is like a playground where you make friends with just about anyone because you have to. Otherwise, you have no one to play with. Truth be told, building customer engagement and direct communication is not the hard part, showing interest on a regular basis while doing so makes or breaks achieving brand loyalty. Also, remember to not only provide your customers with information about the existing products, but also let them know what’s coming next and take their opinion, therefore, motivating them to be a part of the community.

Share Their Stories

An effective way to engage with your customers is by allowing them to share their stories. The buzz that any current event creates can be used to make consumers participate by using hashtags, tags or by encouraging them to comment on related posts. You can feature your most loyal customers on social media, or simply reward them. Promoters of your products will have a reason to come back and help reach new buyers.

Seek Feedback

Customer feedback or customer reviews are an important part when it comes to creating customer engagement. you want your customers to come back, let them know that you care, that you are listening to their complaints and working on it, making sure that their demands matter to you. Ask them about their experience with your product, take their opinion and show them you included them in your plans for the future, inquire if they are satisfied with the customer service and if their expectations were met. Basically, keep in touch with your consumers on a regular basis.

Take Advantage of Feedback

Word of mouth is most popular method of advertisement and social media is the most convenient contributor of this process. People talk about their wants and needs all the time on social network. Furthermore, their reviews and reactions about products and services are frequently checked online before a consumer makes a purchase. Social media savvy brands take advantage of these online feedbacks. Positive reviews are often thanked and offered rewards, but it’s the negative reviews that you need to know how to tackle. Timely response after displeasure has been reached out by a consumer can be a deciding factor that can turn an advocate into a critic.

Be More Proactive

Keep your brand identity intact. You can keep track of what is being said about you by conducting research, surveys, and reviews through social network so your competitors don’t get a chance at getting ahead of you. Remember, brand loyalty increase exponentially when you maintain the brand reputation. The first repeat purchase from a customer shouldn’t be his last and competitor should never even have a chance to have them switch brands. Try to give something back to the customers and make them feel invaluable. Always find ways to create added value by offering discounts, gifts and bonuses or free shipping. Stay one step ahead of your competitors.

Show Appreciation

Every transaction-making customer becomes part of your family. Often companies forget to thank their customers for the purchases. Find ways to wish your customers on their birthdays, holidays and New Year’s. As unnecessary as it sounds, customers feel special if you engage in communication with them outside business transaction. This not only helps serve the purpose of healthy interactions, but creates a special bond between the brand and the customer which can translate to more purchase later on.

All in all, be the friend everyone wished they had.