I am a massive fan of Apple. Their products I love but what I admire most about them is their brand. Apple often get referenced when brand is discussed. Their brand loyalty is what other brands dream about.
If there are glitches with their products their loyal customers are incredibly forgiving. For example when the ipad was launched despite bad reviews it did not impact on the sales. In fact it was a huge success with them leading the way with their continual innovation.
Can you think of another brand where people will sleep outside their store to ensure they are the first ones to get their latest product.
Why are they so loyal?
Apple are trendsetters and innovators but another big reason is Steve Jobs. People admired his vision and passionate determination to create outstanding quality and design. People felt they knew him. He made an emotional connection by being very transparent about what he valued. Steve was not known to be the nicest bloke in the world but that did not seem to impact on people’s genuine respect for him. When you thought of apple you thought of Steve.
If you want to create brand loyalty you need to build great relationships with your customers by being transparent.
Use your “About Us” page on your website to let people know more about your vision. Share your values and let them know what is your “why”. With the “About Us” page… did you know this is considered the page people go to immediately after the home page. Why? People are interested to learn more about you and will be checking you out. Remember people choose people these days.
Start blogging and doing video, put these on social media and your website. Give an insight into what makes you tick. It is important to tell your staff your brand values and get them to share your business’s vision when they are meeting potential customers.
Stop focusing just on your services and products. These days people want to know who they are dealing with. For example Apple’s mission statement doesn’t really talk about what they do it talks about what they believe.
Brand Loyalty is not all about forgiveness for occasional mistakes. It also means people won’t go elsewhere even if your competitor is cheaper. It is time to get cracking to connect with people who share your beliefs as they are likely to be your ideal customer.
