On top of that, novelty is linked to stronger memories, which, upon repeated customer exposure, can instill familiarity and positive feelings. Associations and positive reinforcement Much of human psychology is built around the concept of associations; when we eat something sweet, we experience a release of feel-good chemicalsm like dopamine; that way, we learn to associate sweet foods with a pleasant experience. So, the marketing lesson from these real-world experiences is simple: Once you’ve captured someone’s attention, the next step to securing his or her loyalty is to ensure your brand is associated with positive feelings. This goes beyond giving your customers a good experience, mind you: You have to somehow associate that experience with your brand. All this takes time, of course, but with every positive experience, your customers will become more loyal to you. Identity and tribalism Humans are a social species, and we’ve learned to engage with one another by forging an identity, sticking to it as stubbornly as possible and participating in tribalism (sticking close to people like ourselves and vilifying or avoiding people unlike us). Tapping into this identity and tribalism, then, can be a good strategy to try, to secure brand loyalty. Instilling a sense of community identity (and in this case, elitism) is the key to making your customers feel that they’re a part of your brand. The key takeaways What can you learn from these psychological factors? What can you do to make people more loyal to your brand?
In an ideal world, all your customers would be loyal to your brand. Loyalty means a customer is willing to come back to your brand for multiple purchases and experiences, forgoing your competitors’ — even if those competitors are offering lower prices or similar incentives.
Some studies (and opinions) suggest that brand loyalty is a concept that’s dying; for example, 79 percent of the millennials polled in one survey ranked quality as their most important purchasing decision, rather than the name brand involved. In this current “Information Age,” where information on thousands of competitor products is instantly available, it’s no wonder that so many people believe brand loyalty is on its way out.
But that’s not the final word, apparently, because other evidence suggests that brand loyalty is as strong as it’s ever been: Fully 77 percent of consumers in one survey, for instance, said they return to the same brands over and over again, with 37 percent of them qualifying as “brand loyalists” — the segment of customers who will stay true to a brand even if offered a superior product from a competitor.
So, if you go with the latter research, what are the psychological factors that might be responsible for this overwhelming manifestation of loyalty?
Novelty
First, there needs to be some degree of novelty to catch consumer attention. The world is full of different brands similar to yours; therefore, if you want a shot at winning a new customer, you either have to offer a product that’s never been offered before, or make a compelling, persuasive pitch that can potentially attract loyalists from other existing brands.
On top of that, novelty is linked to stronger memories, which, upon repeated customer exposure, can instill familiarity and positive feelings.
Brand loyalty doesn’t depend on novelty to sustain itself, but it is a necessary first ingredient.
Associations and positive reinforcement
Much of human psychology is built around the concept of associations; when we eat something sweet, we experience a release of feel-good chemicalsm like dopamine; that way, we learn to associate sweet foods with a pleasant…
COMMENTS