What Is Brand Loyalty And How To Build It

Brand loyalty is one of the most valuable attributes of a business. There are many components that contribute to establishing and maintaining brand loyalty, all of which provide a multitude of benefits, ensuring you can sustain a successful company.

This article has been mindfully constructed to help you discover all the ways that you can form strong brand loyalty, to help take your business to the next level.

What Does Brand Loyalty Mean?

Brand loyalty is a marketing term that is used to describe repeat purchases of a specific brand, based on its reputation. This means that the way consumers perceive your establishment will impact your brand loyalty.

Your brand image is make or break for potential brand-loyal customers as it will impact how your business is viewed and valued. Once you achieve brand loyalty, it is relatively easy to maintain, so long as your image is positively upheld.

Customer Loyalty Vs Brand Loyalty

Although customer loyalty and brand loyalty are incredibly similar concepts and both affect customer retention, they have two key differences that separate them from one another.

The term customer loyalty is primarily concerned with the purchases a buyer makes based upon the cost of a product/service. Assuring customers with a stable price range and regular discounts will encourage repeat purchases, subsequently resulting in customer loyalty.

Brand loyalty is less to do with pricing and more to do with image. It is ultimately dependent upon how consumers perceive your brand. Certain elements of customer loyalty are synonymous with brand loyalty. For instance, your brand's promotional offers will positively support your entity's image, and therefore reinforce brand loyalty.

Why Is Brand Loyalty Important?

Many business owners advocate brand loyalty as an expeditor for success. Establishing a brand identity can be remarkably rewarding. We have listed 3 main factors that make brand loyalty a powerful asset to your organisation.

1. Forms A Positive Relationship

Brand loyalty will build a bridge between your brand and your existing customers, forming a positive relationship that will amplify your brand's success.

2. Generates Consumer Retention And Boosts Sales

A brand-loyal customer is more likely to stick with your brand and trust other products you sell, even if those other items are higher in price. This means that profitability is sustainably supplemented.

3. Supports Brand Engagement

Brand loyalty and brand engagement harmoniously marry together. Brand loyalty feeds off of your brand's credibility and overall image, which automatically impacts engagement.

Upholding secure brand loyalty will indefinitely aid audience engagement. This can even benefit other aspects of your marketing, such as your brand community.

How To Build Brand Loyalty

In order to fortify brand loyalty, you will want to form an effective brand strategy. Here are 5 ways to help you construct and maintain brand loyalty:

1. Understand Your Brand's Personality

Your brand's personality is salient to its image. By understanding your brand's traits and characteristics, you will be able to efficiently define your greatest strengths and construct an enticing brand image that will attract customers.

2. Attain Competitive Edge

In order to surpass competitors, you must locate and define your brand's competitive edge. This can be done by laying out what your unique selling point is and what you do well as a business. By accentuating these elements, you can stand out to customers and succeed within your niche market.

3. Introduce Loyalty Programs

Introducing a loyalty program will hook your target audience and encourage them to stick with your brand. There are many types of incentive programs that you can embrace, some of which include:

• Loyalty Points: Point-based rewards allow customers to collect points with each purchase. Once they accumulate enough points, they can claim them to receive freebies and discounts.

• Value-Based Rewards: This incentive rewards customers with non-monetary bonuses, such as a donation voucher. This is ideal for brands who revolve around social and ethical responsibility.

• Paid Programs: Paid loyalty is when a customer buys a membership in order to receive exclusive benefits and rewards

4. Connect With Customers To Create Audience Engagement

Connecting with your customers will help form a brand community and offer your target audience a sense of resonance and belonging.

One way you can successfully generate audience engagement is by recruiting your most loyal customers and making them brand ambassadors. This will add an organic element to your brand and strengthen the personal connection you have with your target audience.

Glossier, a leading cosmetic brand, executes this remarkably well by transforming its customers into influencers who promote its products across various social media channels.

5. Always Offer Exceptional Customer Services

Ensuring your brand offers welcoming and patient treatment to its consumer base is paramount to building a strong rapport and assembling a positive brand image. 

Brand loyalty is often characterised by emotional motivators that fuels consumerism. By keeping customers happy, you will be able to perpetually maintain brand loyalty. 

If you are unsure of how good your brand's customer service currently is, try surveying customers in order to receive honest opinions and pinpoint areas that require improvement.

Brand Loyalty Examples

To illustrate how impactful this marketing notion is, we have selected two leading brands that have nailed the concept of brand loyalty:

Lululemon

Lululemon is a Canadian athletic apparel brand that has a global following. What makes this particular brand so impressive is its capability to sell clothing products at a high price, while still keeping a solid consumer base. Here are the key takeaways that make them exemplary for brand loyalty:

• Over 1,000 brand ambassadors.

• Host an array of exclusive events, such as free yoga sessions.

• Use their social media platforms to create human connections with their audience, through re-sharing posts and responding to comments.

Charlotte Tilbury

This British luxury makeup company is a leading cosmetic beauty brand which uses a paid loyalty program, in order to engage with its customers and ensure optimal brand loyalty. These are the key ways they do this:

• The membership invites customers to access exclusive resources, such as virtual masterclasses and beauty tips.

• Founded the 'Magic Vault' which allows customers to receive special gifts and offers.

• Add a personal level of care by tailoring product recommendations to suit you, and provide live chats to ensure superior customer service.

Before You Go...

At PicStudio, we offer a variety of marketing services specifically designed to help your company succeed. From visual storytelling to strategy and branding, we can guarantee that our services will gracefully help your brand to prosper.

We are always excited to help new businesses on their journey toward success. If you wish to discover more, feel free to explore our site and get in touch.