Every brand in all the industries needs to take a proactive approach to connect with their consumers to build long-lasting relationships. Prioritizing the emotional nuances of the consumers, positions a brand to stand tall in their industry.
Strong relationships are not just nice-to-have if the product is ready or business is established. Cultivating an emotional connection with the ethos of the consumer, needs a brand to deep-dive into the inner voices and bigger picture goals that consumers expect to have from the brands in these uncertain times. Nelson Mandela once said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
To get this right, brands need to put themselves in a consumer’s journey, be genuine in their approach, create strategies that fulfill consumer needs. Most recently with the death of George Floyd, social media spiked with the anti-racism and the mantra of “open your purse” kick-started from the customers. Major tech companies like Facebook, Intel, Apple, Salesforce have pledged to donate millions of dollars to non-profits. Smaller start-ups like Peloton and Glossier have got the utmost praise from by raising the voice for the consumers and setting the standards for upcoming companies.
Another recent example during the ongoing crisis of COVID-19, to create awareness of social distancing, Coco-Cola has changed its logo by separating the letters of their brand name and put it on a billboard in Times Square, the USA to convey a crucial message. This sent out a powerful message and resonate with the emotions of the consumers.
“Staying apart is the best way to stay united” was the message from Coco-Cola that reflected the ethos of the need of the hour.
MailChimp, an email automation platform has championed this emotional space of the consumer by supporting them from the scrappiest days till the ultimate successes. They have also made sure that they can support the same customer businesses as they grow and as their needs change. MailChimp is showing that they can be a one-stop solution for the emails to be easy for their consumer that need to ramp up their marketing.
Nike’s “find your greatness” commercial was one piece of advertisement that does not promote any of their products but created a consumer narratives of their lives. This created an emotional encouragement among consumers and became an afterthought of their products.
Brands need to understand the expectations of their consumers on a regular basis. Develop loyalty among consumers by sending surveys, host webinars, offer free services, and collect their opinions and feelings to deeply understand what they want and build them into the brand’s value that helps to deliver to the consumer all time every time. Respond to their opinions and comments in a timely manner that adds credibility to the brand.
Although these brands are giants in their industry of operation, there is a common theme that they follow; connect with consumers outside their service. Metrics that brands used to measure like the customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value has non-quantifiable factors like loyalty and emotional investment.
Companies can foster stronger relationships and minimise churn when they tap on their inner voice and focus on their bigger picture goals, addressing small and important factors. Acknowledge the consumers and support them over the long haul journey provides a competitive edge for the brand.
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