The marketplace is saturated with brands that offer similar products and services yet some brands continually dominate the marketplace. What factors go into the decision-making process that leads people to choose one brand over another? If they can receive a product or service more conveniently or at a lower price with one brand, why would they choose another? Why should they choose your brand? Here’s the bottom line on how to get people to love your brand.
When people make a purchase from a brand they exchange more than just money for a product or service. The exchange is more complex than this.
For the consumer its not just a product or service that they are receiving. It’s a promise. It’s a feeling. It’s an experience, a reward, or a sense of belonging or community.
Brands and our association with them help us express who we are. They become an extension of self-image and a reflection of our personalities and self-perceptions. A purchase of a particular brand’s products or services is an extension of that consumer’s personality, aspirations, and values. People buy into brands that fit their identity or perceived identity.
Tips
Tap into their emotions
Emotions drive human behavior. People rely on emotions, rather than information, to make most decisions. The majority of human decisions are based on how they feel. So we stay loyal to & are drawn into relationships that make us feel loved, understood, happy, complete, etc.
Great brands fully understand what their audience needs from them. They use this knowledge to craft clear messages and a promise to their consumers. These messages are delivered and infused in every facet of the brand and help to evoke memories and emotions within the consumer’s mind tied to the brand’s promise.
In creating your brand’s content, messages, and products/services, always think about what people are really “buying”. It’s the other thing that evokes emotions that connects people to a brand (see figure 1 above). What are they really buying? Is it status, convenience, higher self-esteem, a sense of inclusion…etc?
Consistency builds trust
Once your brand has identified these connectors (emotions), craft your business around delivering this repeatedly to your audience. Time and time again. Build your entire business experience around your audience’s needs.
A great brand repeats and delivers on this promise time and time again. Consistency yields trust and over time this turns into loyalty. This interaction between your brand and your consumer forms an emotional bond that leads them to favor your brand. This bond makes them feel emotionally vested or connected to your brand so they are inclined to choose the brand that makes them ‘feel’ the most.
Marketing delivers the message to the masses but carefully crafted branding is why people fall in love with your business. This doesnt happen by accident. It's designed.#marketingtips #brandingtip #businessstartup
— Rosa I Evans (@rosaievans) January 23, 2020
The most important takeaway for brands to solidify their presence in the mind of their ideal target market then is to strive to evoke positive emotions instead of just sell a product or service. They need to create a higher sense of value. Great brands fill an emotional need consistently.
When a purchase is made the brand isn’t just receiving monetary payment. The brand is receiving validation. A great brand promotes its purpose, values, and beliefs. Tie these components into to the desires and needs of their target audience. When someone chooses your brand, in essence, they are verifying that they have mutual beliefs and values.
“We don’t just want people to buy a brand, we want people to buy into a brand, to make it part of their lives.” -Stan Richards, The Richards Group
Final Thoughts
The key to building a successful brand that people will connect and fall in love with is to create an experience and evoke feelings tied to your audience’s individual interests, needs, and desires. Your brand needs to deliver a consistent experience every time they interact with your brand. These experiences serve to form a bond that leads to brand loyalty and brand love. You need these elements to get people to love your brand.
Remember ultimately, your brand is not about you, it’s about your audience and how they perceive your brand and it’s relevance into their lives.
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