Making emotional connections
Think of some brands which people are the most loyal to and think about why that might be. Something has led to consumers using a brand or business’s products or services repeatedly. For example, with certain products, it could be consistently great performance which makes a task easier (e.g. a household favourite cleaning product which gets the job done without a lot of extra elbow grease). In the instance of a service or a general company, it could be consistently good experiences with the organization itself.
Sharing her personal experience, this author considers a couple of brands she is a “superfan” of, with the biggest being an airline she frequently flies with. As a frequent traveller who still gets nervous at times to fly, she finds comfort in the way this airline does business—lightening the mood and treating passengers respectfully. Somewhere throughout her interactions with the staff, they were able to create an emotional connection with her, which makes them her first choice to fly with every single time. She loves this company’s culture, its policies, their ability to provide flexibility for ever-changing plans, and their commitment to a positive customer experience. She also enjoys getting a chuckle out of the flight attendant’s uniquely crafted safety message infused with humour on a flight.
Creating brand advocates
When a customer has a great experience with a product or service, chances are, they will verbally share those details within their social circle. As business owners in the pool industry, one can identify many customers who are brand advocates for the organization. They probably refer friends to the business when specifically asked about pool or spa chemicals; however, this is likely as far as they will go when advocating. Many happy customers are more than willing to provide reviews for a business, they just are not aware of the easiest way to go about doing so or need a gentle reminder. Businesses could consider offering an incentive for customers to leave a review online; however, they could also just start asking happy customers to leave reviews. Not only can businesses consider using this content in future marketing, and they will also see how this positively impacts the company’s digital presence as well.
As an example, the author shares an experience she had with a small, local, candle-making business in her hometown, which she visited with her teenage son. When they left the shop with their custom created candles (i.e. a unique product offering) and good memories from the day, she wanted to share this experience with others, not only so they could enjoy some quality time with family or friends as well, but to help promote this small business. And within an hour of being home, she posted photos of their experience with a glowing testimonial, tagged the company, and told more than a thousand Facebook friends to check the place out. In just one experience, the business was able to create a brand advocate in her.
