There are many different marketing strategies you can use, and a lot of them will work. Some won’t. It’s down to experimentation and always developing new ideas. One idea that will work more often than not is getting your customers to market your brand for you. If you can persuade them to be brand advocates (whether they know it or not), this can have a positive effect on your reputation and ensure that you not only get plenty of repeat business but new business too. With that in mind, read on to discover some ways to help your customers advocate for your business.
Differentiate Your Brand
When you think about sports and the fan bases that develop for various teams, most of the time, this has happened due to rivalry with other teams. People will see that one team is better – different – than another, and they will prefer those differences and therefore stick by that team.
The same marketing strategy can and should be employed in your business. If you can make your business stand out, more and more people will appreciate those differences and understand that you are a better choice than your competition. They will tell others about this, and so your customer base will grow.
Give Individual Attention
If you want customers who stand out, you have to give them experiences that stand out. That means giving different kinds of attention to different people in your community to make them remember your brand in a unique way.
For example, go above and beyond in customer service situations that are especially hard or unique, or call out specific social media followers and share their content to show your appreciation. People will remember you because of them.
Create A Community
The more a brand advocate feels like a real part of something, the more loyal they are to that thing. As people who use your app or website, they have a personal stake in it.
However, as part of a strong community, they will show an even stronger level of loyalty. For example, you could make a help forum where users can post their own content and talk to each other. Or you could arrange an annual event with function bands and plenty of food and drink for those who have signed up to your VIP newsletter, for example.
Use Their Feedback
Listening to customers is the hallmark of a winning brand and will benefit your business on all levels of customer engagement. In order to improve your business, it is important to solicit and carefully consider customer feedback about your brand, products, and services, and to act on any actionable insights you may uncover.
Customers will be more loyal if they feel like their opinions matter and they are being heard when they receive a response like that. To make the people who provided that input feel even more like they are a member of your brand’s community, you might also give them public recognition, as we mentioned above.
Review How Your Customers Can Market Your Brand.