How Brand Recognition Helps Improve Customer Retention by Kat Sarmiento
Before the dawn of social media, consumers are more practical about the products they buy. They are more critical about the value and longevity of their purchases and objectively relate them to their prices.
However, with the plethora of choices available in the market today, it’s hard to stand out. Modern-day consumers shop in terms of different factors like preference, convenience, and availability. But most of all, they choose what looks best at first glance.
Therefore, this puts your branding at the focal point of attracting—and retaining—your customers.
Every brand aspires to become a consumer staple. One that people would immediately consider with their daily activities. Or one that can be recognized even from afar with just the color, font, or tone.
Think about the brands that first come into mind when talking about cameras? It’s either Nikon or Canon. What about shoes? Nike. Adidas. At the same time, you cannot question the loyalty of Apple users to the brand’s products and accessories.
It took arduous efforts and strategies before these brands established an authentic connection with their target market. So, don’t worry about missing out. Every day is a new opportunity to improve your brand, amplify its recognition, and eventually build customer loyalty.
Identity is everything
What makes your product or service unique to the thousands of choices available in the market?
Banking on an identity will help you separate your brand from the rest.
During this pandemic, brands had no choice but to migrate online and adapt to different gimmicks and marketing strategies to keep up with market needs. For example, if you are a restaurant with space for al fresco dining, you can maximize it by offering both deliveries, pick up, and dining services—al fresco, of course—on your online promotions.
By doing this, you are separating your brand from those who can only offer delivery and pickups. It gives you the advantage to tap more customers by having more choices for your services. It’s an identity you can sustain even after everything eases back to normal.
On the other hand, if your business is a pandemic baby and is purely online, curating is the key. Study the look you’re going for—from the color palette, logo designs to your brand voice.
How would you want to address your customers? In what tone? Supporting societal causes can also give you an edge. We live in more aware and empathetic times, and people are more likely to buy from you if you’re standing up for a cause that you, and more people, truly support.
Social causes are not just a trend, of course. It also entails responsibility for your brand to live up to the principles that your services embody. It is a sensitivity that should be in the totality of your brand. It’s an identity you should bank on and live up to create credibility.
Other brands also explore different niches to stand out. There are hand-poured scented candles based on people’s favorite books or places. Coffees can be branded as a character from a popular sitcom or TV show as well.
It all depends on how creative you can be in crafting an identity for your brand.
Customer to Community = Loyalty
Straightforward doesn’t do it anymore. As customers become more complex, brands should keep up with their communication approach to engage their audience.
We can all agree on how heaven-sent auto-generated messages are, especially when your team is shorthanded while consumers outnumber the people behind your answering machine. But right now, customers are more satisfied when they feel like they’re talking to an authentic persona beyond those screens.
Brands must value their customers—that’s a given. Yet, it must also reflect on how they talk and accommodate their customers and prospects. By considering sensitivities like asking and respecting one’s pronouns, you are already impacting how your consumers see you.
Humanizing your brand means seeing customers are people too. It’s not just about them buying your product or availing your services—it’s also about how your brand can be a significant part of their lives.
This mindset can help you turn consumers into communities that you can holistically approach. And when you’ve built a community, you’re already forging brand loyalty.
Sustain this loyalty by offering exclusive promos and incentives for your brand community. You can even execute a giveaway for a new product you’re brewing or working on to spark interest and gain more engagement.
Despite the times changing, one thing remains relevant—customer service is vital. Aside from your unique selling identity, your brand must also focus on delivering reliable and conversational customer service.
Remember, prospect customers, trust other customers. So if you’re known to be a responsive and responsible seller based on the reviews from your community, you can expect more people to trust your brand and services again and again.
To sum it up: brand recognition is built based on time, effort, and (lots of) strategic planning.
Consumers have a personal affinity to the brands they put loyalty on. But this can’t be built overnight. Every brand has its timeline. So, keep building from what works and improve on what doesn’t.
Take every day as a stepping stone to learn more about your niche and audience. As your brand grows, you may often wake up bombarded with messages on your socials and email. It can be harder to keep track of the latest trends about branding, so using email generators can be handy for a spare. Just stay focused and maintain the hustle. You’ll get there.
