How can social media help to build brand loyalty?

The use of social media in digital marketing is nothing new. However, many businesses are only just opening themselves up to its power. In fact, small business owners are still pretty slow on the uptake when it comes to using Facebook, Twitter and the many other social networking sites out there.

One of the main reasons to implement social media for your company though is in building brand loyalty.

What is brand loyalty?

Brand loyalty is essentially a consumer’s decision, be is conscious or unconscious, to continually buy from a specific brand rather than going elsewhere. Brand loyalty needs to be built up over time, and though it can be established in a number of ways (good customer service, strategic advertising, affordable prices, etc.) in today’s world social media can be one of the best tools.

How can I use social media then?

Building an emotional connection is one of the most important parts of establishing brand loyalty. Research shows that consumers with an emotional connection to a brand are four times more likely to return again. This can also lead them to recommend your brand to other consumers, thereby giving you free advertising.

How can I do that?

Creating an emotional connection is all about basing your brand on a simple ethos that you follow through in every way possible. For instance, Apple dedicates itself to being as innovative as physically possible, while Facebook is determined to push the boundaries of social sharing.

How can social media help?

By using social media you can reinforce your dedication. You can do this by posting new advisements that drive home your company’s ethos, or providing social media customers with special discounts or products.

You can also use social media platforms to get people excited about your brand – the more excited they are, the more likely they are to want to buy from you. Your marketing strategies will need to be current and relevant, like:

• Aldi’s ‘I like this one’ adverts – they’re funny and highlight the fact that people are now looking for budget brands that do exactly the same job as more expensive ones.
• Compare the Market’s ‘Compare the Meerkat’ adverts – they give consumers a mascot they can associate with the brand, while also being humorous.
• Fosters ‘Good Call Centre’ adverts – the beer company has managed to stick to its Australian roots and has in fact emphasised them with the Brad and Dan characters.

Social media should sit hand in hand with your marketing strategy as a way to promote it and get people excited about it. You can also use it to record information about your customers, which can help you to target the right demographics in the future. This will help to make sure you’re targeting the right audience, which can give you a better chance of improving your brand loyalty.

This article was written by Custard, a digital marketing company based in Greater Manchester.