For most businesses, encouraging consumers to move into the loyalty and advocacy stages of the customer journey is the ultimate win.
Shoppers who are loyal to your brand will purchase from you repeatedly, often despite competitor alternatives that might be cheaper, or more convenient. This repeat business can lead to serious sales growth - and because it’s generally more expensive to acquire new consumers than it is to keep your current ones, securing loyalty is also a good way to free up your marketing budget and reduce costs.

Loyal consumers are also the most likely to become advocates for your brand, by recommending your products online, or to friends and family. Essentially, they can act as free marketers that can generate lots of new business.

Establishing a loyal consumer base isn't just about getting people to buy once - it's about nurturing ongoing relationships that keep them coming back for more. In fact, one study has suggested that many consumers only consider themselves loyal to a brand once they've bought from it three times.

So, let's take a look at some of the available tactics for turning occasional shoppers into regular shoppers, and building strong, enduring loyalty along the way.
First, you’ll need to stand out from the crowd and ensure your brand is unmissable. You should make sure you’re maximizing your most distinctive assets – in other words, the most memorable, visual cues that are unique to your brand. This helps to improve brand recall and ensures your products are front of mind and recognizable to consumers.
Another good piece of advice is to be in the right place, at the right time. Identify the key touchpoints and occasions for your target consumer, to maximize your chances of exposure, reach, and conversion. Digital touchpoints such as interactive displays, digital signage, and mobile apps are a wonderful way to interact with consumers through personalized, targeted, and real-time messaging. You should also try to maintain consistency in your purpose, tone of voice, and visual branding across these various touchpoints, as this is key to driving brand recall in audiences.
You should also never underestimate the importance of knowing your consumer. Understand what they care about, and make sure that your business’soffering evolves to meet their ever-changing needs, behaviors, and expectations. For example, you’ll likely know that today’s consumers are becoming increasingly aware of, and concerned about, their impact on the planet and society. This is a shift that many brands have now embraced, like P&G with its Ariel detergent, which encourages consumers to wash at lower temperatures and uses recyclable cardboard for its packaging.
Finally, once you’ve secured someone’s loyalty, don’t forget to reward them. Give back to your existing shoppers through discounts, perks, and exclusive updates. You should also keep an eye on shopper feedback and try to mitigate any issues that people are mentioning to do with poor-quality products or customer service issues. Failing to be proactive in the face of emerging trends and issues is a sure way to lose the loyalty of shoppers.

Ultimately, loyalty can be seen as a collection of three key characteristics - perceived value, perceived quality, and perceived trust. And, although it takes time to build this loyalty, it’s an extremely important step towards ensuring sustained growth and success for your business.

Securing Brand Loyalty & Advocacy

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