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Real People, Real Results: Why authenticity trumps AI on TikTok, Instagram, and beyond
As you’ve heard ad nauseum by now, shopping has changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. With the associated restrictions and guidelines in place, millions of consumers have flocked to digital marketplaces to carry out their shopping. The changes have resulted in a new slate of consumer preferences and behavior. Now, brands need to meet consumers where they are and adjust their own strategies to support the changes.
The most jarring change is the extreme dropoff in brand loyalty. Like bees, consumers (especially millennials) are buzzing from brand to brand and pollinating the ones that are most attractive at any given time.
Per McKinsey, “36 percent of consumers are trying a new product brand and 25 percent incorporating a new private-label brand. Of consumers who have tried different brands, 73 percent intend to continue to incorporate the new brands into their routine.”
Evidently, brand loyalty is not nearly as strong as it used to be. Consumers are willing to switch away from their usual product choices in preference of whichever brand is conveying more value, convenience, or availability.
While this may seem like a threat to your current customer base, it also presents an opportunity to win new customers whose brand loyalty to competitors is up in the air.
Visual content is a great means to separate yourself from the pack and attract new customers. At every step of the buyer’s journey, there are opportunities to infuse relatable content to boost performance. The key is to build meaningful relationships with your customers.
In this article, we provide 3 ways that you can build and maintain brand loyalty during a time when it’s in short supply.
Brand loyalty is when people and users favor one particular brand over any other. These people don’t need much awareness marketing, because they already are familiar and enjoy the product. A survey from our partner Yotpo found that almost 80% of consumers (surveyed) said that it took at least three purchases before they considered themselves brand loyal.
So, how do you build meaningful relationships with your customers? Authenticity is a great place to start. 86% of people say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. Now, more than ever, consumers are looking for brands that truly care about their customers. A great way to showcase dedication to your community is by featuring them within your content. Tap into your communities to generate user-generated content featuring your real-life customers interacting with your products. Activate that content in paid and owned channels, and listen to the results. Some examples include:
If you don’t know where to start, an unorthodox but effective method for determining what content is interesting to your audience is simply to ask them. Publicly poll your audiences on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and ask what types of content they want to see from your brand. This can include motivational quotes, memes, beautiful imagery, or tips and tricks. Not only does this give you a comprehensive glimpse into what resonates with your audience, but it also shows that you care about their opinion and feedback. Consumer sentiment and preferences are always changing. Don’t be afraid to conduct polls periodically, it will help you maintain an accurate pulse on your audience over time.
When you show a customer that you truly understand their wants and needs, they feel more connected to your brand and are far more likely to buy from you again. And no two customers are exactly the same, hence the need for content personalization.
Personalization can be a highly effective way to build brand loyalty. Personalized shopping experiences have been winning throughout the pandemic. According to a survey by Accenture, “91 percent of shoppers are more likely to shop with brands who recognize, remember, and provide relevant offers and recommendations.” In order to truly personalize, you need different content for every consumer subset. You need content for the 45-year-old mother in the Midwest, the millennial man in Miami, and the fitness-focused Gen-Z student in Manhattan.
The key to personalization is garnering as much data as possible. You need to understand what specific mediums, subjects, and messaging perform well for different audiences. This data comes from extensive testing of content.
Your testing efforts will be a lot more successful if you focus your content generation on diversity - both the individual and the setting - from the start. Partner with content creators of all backgrounds and geographic regions so your pool of content is well-suited to testing in front of various audiences. Folks in frigid Michigan might not resonate with content that focuses on outdoor exercise the same way somebody in Florida would.
Email marketing is an easy and effective way to personalize your content at scale. Addressing your customers by name in the subject line, reminding them about their abandoned cart, and personalizing your email body in similar ways will boost your open rates.
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With brand loyalty up in the air, providing a positive shopping experience to your customers is absolutely vital. Especially if it’s their first time shopping with you - first impressions are everything. Make it easy for them to shop with you.
Incorporate a call to action into all of your social content, driving customers to your ecommerce site. Add CTAs like “Buy Now,” “Shop Online,” “Free Delivery,” or “Same Day Shipping,” to highlight your ecommerce capabilities and convey value to your audience.
The major social media platforms continue to add shoppable tools that optimize the shopping experience, especially at the bottom of the funnel. IGTV now lets brands and creators tag products within their posts. Followers can then swipe up and find a straightforward menu featuring the collections and additional product details. Instagram also recently announced that it’s adding Reels and Shop tabs to its home screen. The Reels tab will, of course, lead users to Reels, short form videos similar to TikTok. The Shop tab will surface personalized recommendations, editors’ picks curated by the @shop channel, shoppable videos, and new product collections. Both tabs make it easier for people to find what they want on the platform and go there immediately.
Take advantage of these tools by partnering with influencers who can produce and share engaging video content that includes shoppable links. Additionally, generate engaging and authentic content to populate owned channels and make use of the same shoppable tools.
In order to implement a strategy focused on building brand loyalty, you need a system for generating, activating, and measuring the performance of content. More importantly, the system has to be nimble enough to keep up with changing consumer sentiment and preferences.
Cohley serves as a platform for brands to source the resources they need, including user-generated content, influencer partnerships, professional photography, and product reviews. The performance of the content is measured in real time, driving data-informed content strategies. Understanding the performance of your content on different channels and in front of different audiences is vital for building and maintaining brand loyalty today.
Visual content touches every corner of your brand. It’s how a consumer is introduced to your products and it’s the last thing they see before making a purchase. Now more than ever, it’s extremely important to focus on the content you’re showcasing and aligning it to the digital transformation that will continue to take place in the coming years.
Need help creating content that will have your customers coming back for more? Learn how we can help by scheduling a demo of our platform today.
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