Over 46% of consumers are willing to pay more to trusted brands. At the same time, a brand brings inner satisfaction to customers and high-bar deals. Who doesn’t crave to drive an Audi? Mercedes-Benz? We are sure, deep down, you have a desire for a luxury branded car. While the audience loves brands, whether it’s Apple, Nike, BMW, or McDonalds—consumers trust and admire unique experiences. Branding matters a lot to customers. Are you ready to know the advantages of branding to customers? Strap in.
What is a Brand?
Before we discuss the advantages of branding to customers, let’s define a brand. A brand is a unique product or service offering with a distinguishable identity in the industry. A brand is not just the name, logo, or product—it is the emotion consumers feel when they hear about their favorite brand.
Let’s paint this Picture: You are craving junk food, and there are two shops in your way: a local burger and a McDonald’s. Where do you stop your car? You likely prefer McDonald’s. This is what we call a brand that distinguishes itself from others because of the high value and experience it provides to its customers.
What are the advantages branding offers to customers?
Customers trust big brands and buy more frequently for a worthy experience. Let’s explore the advantages of branding to customers examples.
1-Branding saves customers’ decision-making time.
It’s easier for a customer to choose a trusted brand than the rest. If you search for a multivitamin to support your health and type it on Amazon, you will see an extensive list of multivitamins.
Scrolling through the huge list will waste your time, but if you type a specific multivitamin brand like Centrum, the search results will be reduced, making the process easy for you. Therefore, it saves your decision-making time.
2-The brand provides inner satisfaction to the customer.
Brands boost consumer confidence when they wear products and experience their services. They deliver value, and the consumer feels superior in front of other people when they use a branded product. Gaining their desired outcome tends to provide inner satisfaction to customers.
3-Brands make a difference in customers’ lives.
When searching for chocolate and hazelnut spread in grocery stores, what will you pick, Nutella or another local chocolate spread? Of course, you will go for Nutella, which is different from other generic products. Branding builds a difference for customers by recognizing them as a reputable brand.
4-Branding offers safety to customers.
Who likes to sink into the pitfall of generic business? Everyone wants to avoid risks and strive for safety. Imagine this: if you travel abroad and choose an airline, you will be more likely to book premium branded services than the local one. This is what a customer wins from brands—a secure experience. It’s a safe and expected pick that you know what you get.
5-Branding delivers value.
Even if the price is higher, the customers are pleased to pay for it as the branded product’s value shows up at a premium price. Branding is a sign of high status in society while bringing value to customers. It’s one of the best advantages of branding to customers.
6-Brand articulate who the consumers are
The brands we use express who we are–the shoes we wear, the food we eat, or the smartphones we keep. Remember that early Nike ad with 80-year-old marathoner Walt Stack? It was a true inspiration! Thousands of people were inspired to leap by their slogan “Just do it,” sharing their stories of overcoming obstacles from static jobs to weight loss.
While making a statement about us, who we belong to, and who we wish to be. It’s an emotional attachment of customers to the core.
How can brands strengthen their customer connections?
Brands need to create a customer connection to build customer retention and loyalty. The customer is the whole nine yards for your business. Let’s break down how your brand can improve customer connection.
1-Respond to customer concerns.
Don’t just be available to your customers during your good times roll. If you want to build consumer trust, show them you care. Listen to their problems by engaging them directly while providing a valuable solution. This will shape a strong customer connection with your brand.
2-Provide a meaningful experience.
Delivering a unique experience matters to your customers and can help build a connection with a brand. About 88% of customers value an organization’s experience as much as its products.
3-Follow up
Every brand needs customer appreciation, and following up is a great way to achieve it by responding to customers throughout their buying journey. When your customers buy a new product, send them an acknowledgment message. As a result, you can build healthy bonds with your consumers.
Meanwhile, follow-up also assists you in tracking disappointed customers, so it’s better to help them before they share bad experiences with others.
4-Work actively on social media.
Millions of consumers are already communicating through social media and expecting much from brands. Businesses utilize social media for marketing and advertising but sometimes don’t respond to customers’ comments. It can affect the brand in the long run if consumers don’t get attention from the brand.
Around 42% of consumers who complain on social media expect a reply within 60 minutes. Therefore, respond to them as soon as possible to build a connection with customers.
Impact of emotional branding on customers
Big brands target customers’ emotions that connect them with a brand. Here are some potential impacts of emotional branding on customers;
- Emotional branding brings customers loyalty while boosting sales.
- Emotional branding can create a feeling of belonging and identity for customers.
- Customers who associate positive emotions with a brand are more likely to forgive mistakes or shortcomings.
- Emotional branding can propel repeat purchases and increase customer lifetime value.
Emotional branding examples
1-Apple
From the start, Apple has used emotions to connect deeply with its customers and build loyalty in the long run. Their storytelling, product design, and customer service resonate deeply with customers. The brand’s “Think Different” campaign targets customers who aspire to be creative and innovative.
It aims to tap into users’ desire to think outside the box and promote a culture of innovation. It perfectly stimulates users’ desire to be different and stand out from the crowd.
2-Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s drinks mainly relate to happiness and togetherness. They touch the human desire to be happy and enjoy beautiful moments with loved ones. Their Christmas ads genuinely connect with customers, evoking warmth, happiness, and togetherness. In its “Share a Coke” campaign, the brand goes the extra mile by customizing beverages with names and phrases.
When consumers find their name, they post pictures to social media platforms and share their happiness. The consumers strongly resonate with this personalized connection and look for bottles with their family and friends’ names to share moments. They beautifully create an emotional bond.
3-IKEA
Humans crave a better life. IKEA, the world’s greatest furniture retailer, perfectly captures this desire to grab consumers’ attention. Their brand purpose is to provide a better life every day. One of its campaigns, “The Wonderful Every day,” perfectly showcases this idea of getting a better life with its products.
Through storytelling, they spark the idea of living with comfortable and affordable smart home approaches. Stories sell more than dry facts because they stay in the audience’s memory for a long. As a result, they boost the brand’s message and identity while emotionally connecting with the audience.
These brands show how emotional branding can effectively cultivate a strong relationship between the brand and its customers.
What makes a brand connect well with its customers?
A brand’s ability to connect well with its customers is vital for building everlasting relationships and fostering brand loyalty. Several factors brand require building this strong connection, including;
- Firstly, a brand that understands its target audience’s needs and desires can tailor its products, services, and consistent messaging to connect well.
- A brand that actively listens to and values customer feedback.
- Then, going the extra mile to create memorable experiences for customers.
- Using impactful storytelling to connect with consumers emotionally.
- Personalizing interactions with customers.
By employing these strategies, a brand can establish a strong and lasting bond with its customers—increasing customer loyalty and advocacy.
Summing Up
We live in a branding world—that’s a high-bar deal for the consumer. Powerful branding builds a valuable relationship between customers and brands. It drives customer loyalty, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Branding offers multiple advantages to customers, from peace of mind to emotional connection, from quality experience to differentiation. In a competitive marketplace, these advantages can significantly benefit customers and brands. Emotions top the list when impacting customers’ hearts.
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