Oh, Hello Branding Group
Your customers are powerful; they give you business. They also have the power to either rave about your business or complain about it, so keeping your customers happy is in your best interest. The goal is to turn your customers into brand ambassadors.
What are brand ambassadors?
Brand ambassadors are customers who love your brand enough to advocate for it. They are normally loyal customers or anyone who has received great service from the company. Their experience with the brand makes them want to share and recommend it to their friends or followers.
What can my business do to create brand ambassadors?
1. Have an Awesome Product/Service
The first step is having a product or service that is worth sharing about. What makes your company so special? Identifying why your product is better than the competitors is an important step in the journey to creating brand ambassadors. People aren't going to go out of their way to tell their friends about your product if it's just a mediocre product. Having a superior product that solves a problem is the foundation for business success.
2. Amazing Customer Service
It is important to go above and beyond in your customer service because it is a common reason why customers will share their experience with others. Having superb customer service will make customers feel special and show that your business cares. Responding quickly, listening, having a positive attitude, and proactively helping are all ways you can improve your customer service.
3. Ask for Feedback
Everyone always wants to give their opinion. Customers want to be heard. Not only will it give your business reliable feedback that you can act on, but the customers will feel involved and important. Customer feedback shows you value their opinions, it will create a better customer experience, and it improves customer retention.
4. Say Thank You/Reward
Customers want to feel appreciated. Sending a thank you email after a purchase is a great way to make them feel valued. Additionally, sending them a "free shipping" or "10% off" email will let them know you appreciate them. Everyone likes getting a surprise gift. Sending a "just because" gift to let them know you value them is something that a lot of people like to share.
5. User Generated Content
Asking for user generated content, or UGC, is a free way to market your brand while making your customers feel involved. User generated content is any content that your customers post for free that displays your product. Making sure you like and comment on all UGC posts is important. Reposting pictures that customers post with your product is a good way to get them involved, have more content to post, and it will encourage others to also post about your product. You can even start a hashtag campaign like Coca-Cola did with their "Share a Coke" campaign.
6. Referral Program
Implementing a referral program is a way to gain new customers while turning your current customers into brand advocates. People trust their friends, so they are more likely to listen to them. Offering an incentive to your current customers to tell their friends about your brand is worth it because a referred customer is more valuable than customers who joined through other ways. One study showed that referred customers stayed longer, had higher profit margins, and had an overall higher customer lifetime value.
7. Personalize
Personalization is another great way to make customers feel valued. Using their name, sending personalized emails, or responding to customers on social media are all ways to increase personalization. Personalization increases brand loyalty which is exactly what you want if you are trying to create brand ambassadors.
Having brand ambassadors are a great tool because they market your brand for free and genuinely love your product or service. By using these tips you'll have people raving about your business in no time.
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