How to build a long-term relationship with your audience

Oct 11

Brand-customer relationships are all about connections. Think of it like going from that awkward first hug, all the way to the honeymoon phase – but for your brand.

Just like any relationship, brand-customer connections take time. You don’t just marry someone after a first date, right? A great and long-lasting relationship goes in stages.

It starts with the Connection phase – it's like the first date. You want to make an impression, show your best self, and create that initial spark – butterflies and all 😉.

Next, you want to be Consistent – this is where things get serious. You remain reliable and true to your word (and brand).

Through the first two stages, you create Loyalty – you've moved in together, metaphorically speaking. Your audience or customers are committed and sticking around.

Finally, you’re in a Long-term Commitment – this is the real deal – marriage, houses, babies, the whole bit. It's about thriving and evolving together for years to come.

It makes sense right? But making sense of it is the easy part. The hard part is putting it into practice. So let’s talk about how to actually make this real.

Stage 1: Creating Connection and Trust

The first impression. It's like dressing up for a date – your brand needs to look its best. But it's not just about appearances, it's about making your audience feel something. To create that initial spark, consider these strategies:

Define your brand personality: Your brand should have a distinct and authentic personality that resonates with your target audience. Are you playful, professional, compassionate, empathetic? Ensure your messaging, visuals, and interactions reflect this personality consistently.

Use authentic storytelling: Share the story of your brand – its origins, values, and mission. If your brand is you, share your story! People connect with stories, and an authentic one can leave a lasting and meaningful impression that hits deep, like at the human level.

Provide engaging content: Use marketing efforts to connect with your audience. “Marketing” is such a broad, hairy word, though. So break it down and think about where you connect with your audience most and meet them there with good, genuine, helpful content. This could be in the form of blog posts (hellooooo you’re on my blog right now!), videos, social media, etc.

Stage 2: showing up Consistently

Once you've made that initial connection, it's time to build trust through consistency. This is where reliability and predictability come into play. To stay reliable and predictable (to a degree) for your audience consider these strategies:

Build and use your brand guidelines: Develop brand guidelines that outline your brand's colors, fonts, tone, and style. Stick to these guidelines across all marketing materials, from your website to your social media.

Provide reliable contact info: Ensure you’re responding to questions, comments and emails. Customer support, even if it’s just you on the other side, is key to being consistent and building trust. When customers have questions or issues, addressing them promptly reinforces your commitment. Plus it makes you human and is another touchpoint that you can flaunt your brand voice and tone.

Create a content calendar: Maintain a consistent content calendar for your blog, social media, and email marketing. Regular intentional and educational updates keep your audience engaged and informed. But being stressed and posting ‘just whatever’ is not a form of being intentional and won’t resonate. A content calendar should help with your organization and the big picture.

Stage 3: Nurturing Loyalty and Advocacy

As your relationship deepens, loyalty and advocacy become essential for growth. This is where your customers don't just buy from you, they become natural brand ambassadors. Consider these strategies:

Provide continued exceptional Customer Service: Go above and beyond to provide outstanding customer service, even if it’s just you on the other side. Resolve issues quickly and make every interaction a positive one.

Loyalty or affiliate offerings: Do you have a service or offering you want your current or past customers to share? Implement loyalty or affiliate offerings programs that reward repeat or advocating customers. I’m personally a part of a few affiliate programs! Not for the money but because I TRULY want to share particular courses with others because they are game-changing. The more you give the more you get!

Encourage user-generated content: Encourage customers to share their experiences through reviews, testimonials, and social media posts. This is otherwise called “social proof”. Share this user-generated content to showcase real-life endorsements of your brand.

Stage 4: Adaptation for Long-Term Success

Here's the thing – for this relationship to last, you've got to keep things fresh and relevant. The world is always changing, and so are your customers. To stay together for the long haul, you need to adapt and grow, just alike a relationship. Consider these strategies:

Continuously innovate and update: Keep updating your products or services to meet evolving customer needs. Show that your brand is always striving to provide the best value. Remember, your business is alive and thriving because you’re meeting a specific need, not because you’re sticking with the status quo.

Stay Informed: Stay up-to-date with industry trends and changes in your target audience's behavior. Conduct surveys, gather feedback, and use analytics to guide your decisions. Remember, implementing change won’t always be straight forward. It will likely require testing and iterating.

Evolve Your Messaging: Update your messaging and branding to reflect the changing times. What resonated with your audience five years ago may not be as effective today.

I strive to create brands for my clients that are timeless and flexible. I understand the nature of an evolving brand but what I don’t want is for my clients to feel like they have to completely revamp and rebrand everything every 5 years. So I provide strategic, expansive brands that can evolve with time while staying on-brand. Is this what you’re looking for? Let’s chat!

Building a brand isn't a one-time ordeal, it's a patient and intentional journey.

By understanding the stages of brand-customer relationships and implementing these strategies, you can foster loyalty, advocacy, and lasting connections that stand the test of time. Remember, like any relationship, it takes effort, commitment, and a willingness to adapt and grow together. And you said you weren’t cut out for marriage. 😉

How to build a long-term relationship with your audience

Brand-customer relationships are all about connections. Think of it like going from that awkward first hug, all the way to the honeymoon phase – but for your brand.

Just like any relationship, brand-customer connections take time. You don’t just marry someone after a first date, right? A great and long-lasting relationship goes in stages.