By Pamela Gwanzura  

Building brand loyalty is often overlooked in terms of its power and its ability to turn around fortunes and ensure sustained profitability. I like to think of it as one of marketing’s lowest hanging fruits or strategies that guarantee profits because when an organization is very deliberate in initiating and reinforcing brand loyalty, their sales can be predictable month on month. Such sales can be grown to greater heights if the loyal customers are further incentivized and rewarded.

Brand loyalty may be referred to as the tendency by customers to repeatedly buy a specific product over a long period of time. The buying pattern is traceable in that as soon as the product runs out, the customer will be at the door seeking a refill or another exact product to replace the finished one. Brand loyalty is fostered in various ways, and we will discuss some of these in this article.

Creating an emotional bond with customers has a way of stopping the customer in their tracks. When a customer feels like you understand how they feel and that you are out to fulfill an emotional need they have, the relationship with the customer is taken to a higher level. We saw how Chicken Licken in South Africa creatively came up with advertisements that created an emotional bond with customers, resulting in positive results and great profitability.

Customers tend to be attached to organizations that are transparent and trustworthy in their business dealings. Too many customers have had bad experiences with shady or unscrupulous organizations where they have ended up losing money or having counterfeit products being sold to them. When an organization can be transparent and trustworthy in its operations, customers will grow to respect them and be loyal to them. Once customers are loyal, you know that sales will be guaranteed, and profitability can be attained. For example, Nandos cooks on open braai places that are visible to the customers, communicating authenticity in the process in which the chicken is processed and packaged for the customers. Transparency is important even in financial dealings with customers as this will keep them coming or running away if there are elements of deceitfulness along the way.

One of the key strategies in building brand loyalty among customers is to get up close and personal with them. Understand what they like, how they like it, how often they would want it, and in what packaging they would like it. The action call from this would be to tailor certain services and products to suit certain customers. In that way, the customers are delighted because they feel heard, listened to, and taken care of. I have seen this being done, for example, in the makeup industry where one’s skin tone is matched to a specific foundation, and then the manufacturer is guaranteed perennial orders from that customer. I have also seen the same with Nike shops in America where they will measure your foot and specifically manufacture a shoe that is a perfect fit for your foot.

In building loyalty within your customer base, it is important to ensure that you introduce certain loyalty programs that reward customers for their patronage. Some of the simple things include keeping records of the customers’ birthdays and surprising them on the day. It goes a long way in making the customer feel appreciated, resulting in increased commitment to your product or service. This has been a game-changer for a lot of airline organizations. Organizations such as Delta Airlines and Emirates reward you with points every time you travel with them. These points can be redeemed for free air travel or other special perks when they reach a specified number. As a result of these loyalty programs, their customers are locked in for the long haul, guaranteeing profitability in the business.

One of the key drivers when it comes to brand loyalty is the element of predictability and consistency in the quality, service, and experiences across all touchpoints concerning the product. When a customer falls in love with a product, all elements are considered, so it is important to ensure that all elements are maintained so that the customer can continue to love the product or service. I have noticed that with cosmetics, people fall in love with the quality, and they continue to track consistency of the quality all the way to packaging. An interesting example is Buttercup margarine, which had the highest following in the Ghetto brands research, and the reason was that over the years they have maintained a great taste and the unique quality where the margarine does not pull the bread or leave holes in it.

One element that reinforces brand loyalty among customers is the continuous improvement of the product or service. The continual improvement enhances the product offering. This is particularly true where an organization seeks feedback and suggestions from customers, and they incorporate these to improve the products. When an organization is intentional about involving the customers, the customers begin to feel like they are shareholders in the product, and the loyalty to the product only shoots upwards. I have seen this happen with some of the Chicken Inn and Pizza Inn products. Some of their continued improvements to the existing products have been informed by customer feedback and suggestions.

So one may look at it from the perspective that building brand loyalty is indeed crucial for ensuring profitability for any organization, and in the long term, it helps the organization to build solid, sustainable relationships with customers. Every organization must seek to have a clearly laid out Customer Loyalty program because it will help to sustain their businesses when it is done right.