Julian is an entrepreneur, advisor, board member and writer. He’s also co-founder of Shaw/Scott, Sageflo and Nfluence Analytics.
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Digital transformation is accelerating faster than ever before, resulting in a race to not only keep up but also come out ahead of the competition. From what I’ve seen, many brands are struggling to differentiate the shopping experience and meet their customers’ evolving needs and expectations — and they risk eroding loyalty for their brand.
As consumers assert more control over their preferences and how brands interact with them, not only is it essential to keep them engaged, but brands also have an opportunity to turn their customers into advocates to drive ongoing organic growth. The ultimate sign of customer loyalty is when customers share their excitement for the brand with their families, friends and colleagues. According to Nielsen, recommendations from people we know and trust are the most credible form of advertising.
One tactic to sustain and grow your customer relationships is developing an emotional connection with your customers. It’s been said that brands that get this right receive three times as much word of mouth as less emotionally connected brands. The key is to be authentic, helpful and timely.
Here are three ways to create brand experiences that foster an emotional connection and encourage word of mouth:
1. Provide an experience beyond the conversion. Move away from the traditional “shop and stop” attitude and start creating post-purchase experiences that drive longer-term connections and enable peer-to-peer activity. For example, consider creating an automated email series that goes above and beyond the order confirmation or “complete the look” type cross-selling. Think videos or illustrations on personalized product care or how to use and get the most out of products. And be sure to make them shareable. Referral offers and competitions are another great way to get customers engaged and talking with their peers.
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2. Get the customer involved. User-generated content is one of the most trusted forms of marketing content and can have scalable marketing benefits for any brand. UGC can be a fun way for brands to emotionally connect with their customers and at the same time humanize the brand or product, drive awareness to prospects and ultimately get the conversation going. Consider going a step further than ratings and reviews or customer satisfaction surveys, and allow customers to offer online advice and feedback on products or services in real time.
3. Make customers feel good about themselves. Publish editorial content across your digital platforms that informs consumers about what you’re doing to make positive changes in the world. This could include a range of content that aims to drive awareness of the positive environmental impact of purchasing from your business. Consider actively pushing content that describes ways in which people can make a difference in their everyday lives. This strategy can help you inspire people to support a cause and generate feel-good sharable moments. Sometimes it can be tough to motivate customers to get involved, so consider gamifying the experience. Create a fun, interactive environment for consumers to calculate their own eco-friendly scores when they purchase products that are environmentally friendly or if they recycle or trade in old products at the point of purchase. You can use this initiative to automate cross-channel messaging that provides updates, encouragement and rewards, while at the same time building emotional momentum that’s worth talking about.
Many brands may already have some of these strategies in their toolbox, but just don’t realize it. Some marketers tend to focus on selling when they should focus on sharing. When you create opportunities for customers to engage with you by providing content and experiences that are worth sharing, those same customers will often take it upon themselves to advocate on your behalf.
The brands that understand the value in building these connections will reap the benefits, and those that ignore this opportunity do so at their own peril. The pace of digital transformation will likely only increase in the years ahead, but it’s not too late to catch up if you can pivot to creating authentic emotional connections that foster both customer loyalty and word of mouth.
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Author: Julian Scott, Forbes Councils Member
