As the digital world becomes more congested, capturing and holding consumers’ attention can be a challenge for many brands. But if your marketing team takes time to come up with a plan that keeps your brand relevant, interesting and relatable to your valuable customers, this daunting task becomes much easier. First, however, you need a solid understanding on why consumers follow brands in the first place.
What Motivates An Audience?
Last year, MarketingSherpa published survey results from their Consumer Purchase Preference Survey that revealed a surprising divide between what marketers thought consumers wanted and what consumers were actually looking for. So, whether you have been building digital relationships with customers for decades or days, now is the perfect time to take a peak at the top reasons why consumers really follow a brand.
Promotions & Incentives: Nothing complicated here. Consumers expect a return for their loyalty. Who doesn’t want the inside track on deals and promotions? And this motivation to be in an “exclusive club” comes with a benefit to brands; it means that your followers are ready to buy! Or, at least give your product and brand a legitimate spin. How often does that really happen? Reward your followers by offering social exclusive promotions, early access to new products (see No. 2), or special “member” discounts, whenever possible. The size of the prize doesn’t necessarily matter. It’s only important that there is a reward valuing their support.
Interest In Products or Services: Many followers are past clients and brand advocates. They want to connect to stay current on new product releases, company partnerships and get the latest scoop. All they want in return is to be “in the know.” Sharing exciting brand developments in real time is highly valuable to followers who see your brand as part of their lifestyle.
Useful & Educational Content: Consumers may be there for the discounts and early access to the latest developments, but giving them ongoing, useful, educational, and entertaining content can deepen their connection with a brand and keep them engaged between purchases. It’s no secret, the better the content, the more engaged people will be. And, as a benefit to the brand, the more valuable the content is to consumers, the more likely they’ll share it with their friends and followers. Free distribution, fast.
Offline Relationships: Social proof has long been used in marketing as a way of endorsing and validating a brand, but online anyone within your network can see what brands you interact with. Facebook is best known for optimizing these relationships by slipping into your feed posts that your friends have “liked.” Depending on your offline relationship you may be more inclined to check out a brand that your friend from college follows or a post your cool cousin liked. This creates a gateway for brands to expand their community without a direct referral. Posting engaging and shareable content is key to capitalzing on these connections.
Direct Brand Communication: Customer service has shifted to social platforms in ways many brands never anticipated. Consumers are using social media to reach out for everything from product questions to complaints. The trend shows no sign of slowing and brands need to be prepared to respond effectively in this super public setting. Waste this opportunity and you’ll damage your brands reputation as these missteps are broadcast and quickly shared in social media. And damage like this has a tremendous multiplier effect in a very short time. But if you do it right, fast response with communication that delights has an off-the-chart positive benefit.
Consumers have a lot of options when deciding which brands to follow on social media. Be sure to create high-quality content, that educates, provides solutions and answers your customers most pressing needs. They’ll keep following your pages.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Although responses to this survey reveal many similarities, the ranking of social media priorities varied when you dive deeper into the client’s profile. In order to optimize your target audience’s priorities, it’s important to develop accurate buyer personas.
By having effective personas, brands can specifically target a piece of content to their audience target, and make sure it fits their specific needs. Not everyone is going to be interested in a discount or in a carefully crafted how-to, but each post should reflect your brands lifestyle, and be written to meet the specific needs of one of your brand’s targeted personas. Don’t be careless. Take the time to get it right.
Combining a clear understanding of consumers’ wants from brands, and what topics are most valuable to them, will help your team develop a solid content strategy to help reach specific business goals.
References
https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/demographics-why-customer-follow-brands-social-media