In business, you will come across satisfied customers who leave a simple online review on your website and those customers who are your informal brand advocate. These customers are your loyal fans who will go the extra mile to show their support. They will share photos/ videos of themselves with your products on social media, share photos and detailed reviews on your website.
With a shifting attitude towards Influencer Marketing, these informal brand advocates are your valuable customers to promote your company. Companies are leveraging genuine word-of-mouth by customers as a marketing strategy.
Consumers are becoming more aware of sponsored and paid posts. According to the survey conducted by Bulbshare on 1000 focus groups,
- 51% expressed negative emotion when asked if they believe influencers are authentic.
- 84% of those respondents prefer recommendations from their friends and families.
Customers have more trust in genuine brand advocates than the influencers do on social media. They find that social media influencers portray false lifestyles and unrealistic images. As “Influencers Marketing” is losing its hold on the consumers, average customers are your best option for authentic marketing.
Convert your loyal customers into your fans and brand advocates. Collaborate with the customers who willingly sing praises for your company.
Figure out what Customers Love
If you offer products that customers don’t like or desire, they won’t share purchases nor share their enthusiasm about your products and brand. Learn which products or features your customers find attractive and worth their money and attention.
Use Survey software or analytics to monitor customer sentiments and track mentions about your brands and products. Find out what your customers say about your products when you are not in control of the conversation.
Track their reviews on various social media and your apps/ website to understand the customer data. This allows you to identify what your customers want and need. Knowing your customer’s preferences, you can assure the quality standards of products and services that they will love.
Customers share their genuine opinion about your brand and happily recommend the brand to their friends and families when they love your product. When they are impressed by their experience, they become your informal brand ambassador or influencers without you needing to pay them.
Get close to your Customers
Getting closer to your customers, be it in the physical or virtual world, helps build an emotional connection between customers and the company, which helps, improve their experience.
To develop an intimate connection with your customers in the physical world you can host conferences, events, meet and greet in your stores or office. This can bring the customers close to your employees and help both groups understand each other. You can also offer your customers a tour of your office or research lab or factory to show them the entire process and behind-the-scenes of your business.
With Covid being a part of our life, it is not safe or possible to host social events. You can leverage your presence in the digital world and establish an emotional connection with your customers. You can do this through videos, images, podcasts, vlogs, and other social media strategies. Use digital media outlets to let customers see and know your brand.
You can also create groups in social media like Reddit or Facebook to help customers engage with others who share the same love for your brand and products. You can engage in direct conversation with your customers on these online communities. Use software to monitor conversation across all channels and analyze the qualitative feedback to understand what customers want from your company.
Foster a feeling of Intimacy through User-Generated Content
From the study conducted by Bulbshare (mentioned above), 88% of respondents share the enthusiasm for collaborating with the company, with 76% of them saying that they enjoy reviewing the products.
Excited customers who loved their purchase show off their product on social media. They post pictures or videos of themselves using the product. Some also share their experience of using the product in detail in their blog or vlog. By sharing their experience on public platforms fosters a feeling of intimacy as they offer you a glimpse into their thoughts and personal life.
Encourage more customers to curate content using your product and share these experiences on your company’s social media pages. Host contests or challenges allowing more customers to share their stories, with their permission you can use the content as your brand story. This feeling of intimacy brings your customers closer to your brand and encourages them to become your brand advocate.
Listening and reading through user-generated content can help you get a better understanding of how your customers feel about their experience with your company. As a result, you not only create a tight-knit community but also gather customer data that can help you provide a personalized experience.
Appreciate and Make them Feel Special
When your aim is to provide a great customer experience, collecting customer data using an market research tool and offering products that they love is not the end of it. To convert them into fans you have to make them feel special. Fans offer genuine feedback to enrich the brand they love. You have to do the same for them and make them feel appreciated.
The most intimate practice that shows you appreciate their effort is by giving gifts. You can offer samples of new products or a free limited subscription to your services as a reward. You can also offer free shipping or a special discount on their birthdays to show that you recognize their loyalty towards the brand.
Be it fans or customers, people are bound to lose interest if they feel that your company is indifferent to their loyalty and love. Sometimes even a simple “thank you” can make them feel appreciated.
There is a high chance that you overstock some products. Giving those away as a reward can make your customers feel appreciated and improve their experience.
Conclusion
To convert customers into fans, your first goal should be to provide an excellent customer experience. And, to provide excellent CX you have to enhance the quality and value of your product. The way you engage with your customers is a key differentiator to stay ahead in the competition. Involve your customers at every step of your business to let them know you appreciate their loyalty.