For the love of the brand

Lara Cassel

Understanding how to get customers to fall in love with us is very much like a romantic relationship. And of course this all starts with a first date. Let’s say you are the type of person that is happiest at your corner café eating a burger, wearing your shorts and slipslops. But you meet someone and want to impress. So on your first date you borrow your friend’s fancy car, dress in a smart clothes and go to an exclusive French restaurant where you can’t even pronounce the food on the menu (let alone identify it when it arrives). So, the first impressions are set.

The date goes really well, but you are now filled with the anxiety of what happens if she doesn’t like the “real” me?

Starting off a relationship being someone you are not is a sure way to kill your brand. Terminology is thrown around the marketing world like brand advocacy, brand loyalty and brand ambassadors – but at the end of the day they are just customers that have fallen in love with your brand.

So what is love? It’s about mutual respect, trust, honesty and caring to mention just a few. So how do you implement this in a business to make sure your customers are happy, satisfied and want to be with you?

Too many brands these days make customers huge promises. The best service, the best products, the cheapest rates but the question to ask is, can you in all honesty say that and deliver against it?

Like dating, consumers have many choices out there, as they say, there are many fish in the sea. In an increasingly competitive market, with consumers that are so savvy, you need to be able to be honest and compelling.

Firstly, you need start with a solid understanding of who you are and what you stand for as a business. After all, people are attracted to businesses that they can relate to on an emotional level.

Long gone are the days when the fastest systems and back end functionality create a level of differentiation. So too the days where a business can just sit back and expect the customers to come to them. It is all about the level of trust and respect that you give to the customers.

Avis, as a perfect example, doesn’t claim to be cheaper or faster – they promise to “Try Harder”. Isn’t this something we can all relate to? A human promise, understanding that we may not always be perfect, but we will do everything in our power to make sure we are.

The right strategy for your business is about finding that human connection with your client base. What emotional need of theirs can you fill that no one else can fulfill. And never forget, that when you find that customer that falls in love with your brand, hold onto them tight. Make them feel like more than just a number and then, you will live happily ever after.

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