This post is not about cold data and fancy language. It’s about what lies at the heart of every decision we make. The key word here is “heart”, as every preference is mostly driven by emotions. While we can analyze our choices, the desire to feel better about ourselves is what guides our decisions. It’s called transformation. Brands that can successfully change the lives of their customers are the most thriving ones.  

Target audience identification

Defining your customer base may seem easy, but many brands still get it wrong. The common belief that serving a wide audience is the key to success is outdated. People have evolved and want to be heard and understood. What sounds good for one person can make no sense for the other. Discovering how a brand’s audience thinks and lives is crucial to serving them effectively. A clear brand strategy can help lay a strong foundation for future growth. Defining a target audience is more than just identifying customers’ profiles. It’s rather about understanding them, realizing how to find them, knowing ways to move them, and building a community. 

The law of attraction

Once the customers have been defined and understood attracting them comes more naturally. We already know where to find them and how to move them. It’s time to take brand strategy and put it into action through branding and marketing campaigns. Reinforcing the promise of transformation at every touchpoint is crucial. Brand founders should try and answer these questions:

• Why do your customers choose a particular brand over another?
• What is important to them? 
• How do they want to feel when they interact with brands?
• Would they choose quality over quantity?
• How crucial is it for them to be a part of the community?
• Which community do they strive to join in?

The answer is most likely because their chosen brands make them feel in a particular way. It also may be because they share the same values with their brands of choice. The latter is a foundational block of strong community building, the importance of which is often overlooked.

Make them stay

Community is what separates a brand from business. While prices, quality, and service level are important, there is something bigger than that. Building a community around a brand and consistency ensures a strong following and returning customers. It’s important to build meaningful relationships with customers to retain them. Active engagement, timely communication, and attentiveness to their needs are of paramount importance. Raving fans are the ones who have faith in the brand and its values. They care in return and they will always be supportive.

Bottom line

Emotions drive customers’ choice of a particular brand, and the brand identity helps them connect with it. Building a strong community around the brand and consistently delivering on the promise of transformation at every touchpoint can foster loyal and supportive fans. It helps them answer the question: why this brand over the other?