It’s easy to be seen as just another random person – a random blogger, a random doctor, a random athlete… With the competition becoming more and more fierce, it’s becoming harder and harder for people to stand out and be noticed. After all, you don’t want to be just a random personal brand. You want to be an invaluable one.
How do you become an invaluable personal brand? One of the best ways to do this is to develop loyalty with your audience, your clients, your customers, and your followers. You don’t want people to just try your services once, and then move on to the next professional or small business owner. You want them to remember you when they’re in need of the same services again, to buy from you if they’re looking for similar products. You want your clients to hire you over and over again.
How do you encourage brand loyalty? Here are some tips:
1. Be personable
People enjoy interacting with a real person, not a random, faceless name. The more personal you are in your interactions with your followers and audience, the more you encourage brand loyalty. When people get to know you and like you, they also start trusting you and the products and services you’re offering. So don’t be afraid of letting your humanity show.
2. Go the extra mile
Nothing encourages brand loyalty more than going the extra mile for your clients and customers. Don’t just “try”. –Do your best in all the things you do for them. If there’s a deadline for your work, make sure you pass what’s needed before that date. Always give your personal best, and you will really encourage loyalty to your personal brand. Go beyond what people expect to show that you really care about making them happy and pleasing them.
3. Reward your customers
People love getting rewards, and this is a great way to encourage loyalty and repeat customers. Make your clients and customers feel special by offering them special promotions, giving them coupons, and hosting giveaways for them. Give them a freebie whenever they order from you or hire your services. Honestly, who doesn’t enjoy getting something extra for his money?
4. Provide excellent customer service
People are incredibly impatient nowadays, and they really want quick, concise and efficient responses from brands. As a personal brand, providing excellent customer service definitely encourages brand loyalty. When people have a problem with your products or services, do your best to offer an immediate solution. The longer you make them wait for a response, the more that the person is liable to look elsewhere for the product or service.
5. Make sure your customers are satisfied
Perhaps the best way to encourage brand loyalty is to ensure that your customers are always satisfied with the products and services you offer. Provide the best that you possibly can, make sure that the products you sell as a small business brand are up to par with industry standards and what customers have come to expect.
Try not to disappoint. Even if someone expresses disappointment with your products or services, offer to exchange or redo it until they’re completely satisfied. Don’t just apologize for it. Be willing to work on the job again, or exchange the item for another, in order to please your clients and customers.
Loyalty is earned, not given freely
Remember that brand loyalty is earned – it is not given freely by people. People have the tendency to be fickle – they enjoy trying new things, especially when they see something popular and interesting. But people can also be loyal to the core – if they fall in love with your personal brand and the products and services you’re offering, they can become your customers and clients for life.
Remember these tips so you can encourage brand loyalty. This is the best way to ensure that your personal brand remains invaluable and important. Don’t be complacent – be personable to your audience, go the extra mile for them, reward them, provide excellent customer service, and always ensure that they’re satisfied with what they get from you.
Prevent being in that position where you are just “going through” customers and contacts and find a way to be an invaluable personal brand is to encourage customers and clients to come back to you again and again.
Author:
Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com – a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand. Maria Duron is co-founder and moderator of #brandchat – a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.
