How do consumers want to engage and be associated with brands?
In a marketplace highly cluttered with numerous brands vying for consumer attention, differentiation has emerged as a business-critical requirement. Today, consumers have hundreds of options for every single need of theirs. This is why brands must cut through the crowd in a meaningful way. While product excellence is vital to stay ahead of the curve, engaging customers is just as essential. It is only through creating tangible consumer connections that brands can ensure their continued loyalty. That said, here’s a look at some ways in which new-age customers want to associate with brands:
Unique Experiences
Of late, there has been a notable shift in consumer behavior. The collective focus has moved from products and services to holistic experiences. In fact, customers are willing to pay more for brand offerings if they are accompanied by unique, elevated experiences along with their purchases. It can be as big as a brand launching a new product with a glamorous event or as simple as a brand sharing its backstory through social media. A deep, long-lasting connection can be formed through memorable experiences, and brands should add this sharp arrow to their marketing strategy quiver.
Personalization
The strongest brand-customer relationships are formed when brands speak to their target audience as individuals and not as a group. This is also the simplest way to describe one of today’s most popular marketing buzzwords – personalization. Personalization taps into customer emotions and helps brands gain trust and loyalty. Going out of your way to make customers feel important/special will go a long way in winning top-of-mind recall and lead to tremendous success.
Meaningful Communication
Whether through founders’ personal social media handles, authored articles, or even press releases, brands need to ensure that they put out meaningful information that will benefit and engage their target audience. Each brand-consumer interaction that moves away from being transactional and towards being meaningful will help brands build relationships and include consumers in their brand story. Eventually, such increased interaction will result in more transactions, which bodes well for every brand.
Influencers
Social media influencers are realistic, relatable, approachable, informative, funny, and much more. Collectively, these traits help customers feel connected to the brands that influencers use/recommend. That’s the reason brands across industries are adding influencer marketing to their overall marketing strategy, giving a boost to their reach and relatability. Followers deeply trust their favorite influencers and would definitely try and even adopt brands that they see on their social media pages. Therefore, marketing executives must look for influencers who align with their brand image to make a natural connection with them, and, by extension, with their follower base.
At the end of the day, authenticity is the key. Staged images and superficial content will simply not cut it in anymore. Brands must step up, get real, and create a genuine dialogue with their audience. Listening to customers, building emotional connections, displaying empathy, and offering support are great ways to strengthen the brand-consumer relationship, ultimately leading to better customer acquisition and retention rates.
About the author:
Manisha Chaudhary, Director and Co-founder, Value360 Communications