Have you ever wondered what industry sector has the most loyal customers and brand loyalty lessons to teach? On the way home from my recent semi-annual teeth cleaning I was. Have been with my current dentist for over a decade now, ever since our move to Florida.
And before that, it was 15 years with the same dentist and the same reason for leaving. So dentist lessons on loyalty were on my mind.
Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
Customer loyalty is the result of consistently positive emotional experience, physical attribute-based satisfaction and perceived value of an experience. This should also include the product or services.
Consider who you yourself are loyal to. Surely you’ll answer family and friends. Why? Because of the emotional bond, you have with them. Your family and friends can do things you may not like, but you stay loyal because of that bond.
Here is a short video that will refresh a brand for you:
Beginning Graphic Design: Branding & Identity
The same applies to customer loyalty to favorite businesses. To prompt customer loyalty you must build an emotional bond with your customers.
To build customer loyalty, a business must blend the physical, emotional and value elements of a customer’s experience into one cohesive experience. So what are the loyalty lessons that help with this goal? Here are some of the best contributors in my mind:
Quality service
It starts with a quality product and service. Without that, these other things to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty would not be effective, would they?
Make relationships your priority
Customers immediately sense if you’re using them (and the relationship) to work your own agenda. Put the relationship first and treat it as more important than making the sale. Your customers will sense you’ve got their best interests at heart.
Kathy Heasley is one of my favorite branding experts. She often writes on the relationship of loyalty to brands. This is a recent comment she made that caught my eye:
Loyalty begins with giving people something they can grasp and be loyal to. Something concise and understandable. Something they can feel and express. Something they can quickly and easily share with their friends. Because in the end, people are not loyal to businesses, they are loyal to brands.
Friendly staff
Everyone on the staff needs to work as a team to welcome customers and make them feel at home. At my dentist, everyone makes you glad to be there and has a similar friendly personality. Few walls are not displaying pictures of the entire team at a staff function. A great tip-off.
Dentist loyalty lessons … great efficiency
In today’s hustle and bustle world, no customer wants to feel he is wasting time needlessly. Always plan and schedule your customers to eliminate most, if not all, waiting time.
Get curious about people
People are drawn to those who show a true interest in them. Honest (but non-intrusive) curiosity helps you understand how you can better help your customers. This will help while giving you the opportunity to learn new things and make new connections.
Built community
Customers want to do business with individuals who are serious about what they do. These businesses are willing to take the time to achieve a deep understanding of their craft, their industry, and the how the customer’s business works. They want and need to be part of a trusted community.
Say the word “dentist” and people are more apt to get sweaty palms than to applaud. But with some loyalty initiatives, they may be able to fill in those worrisome gaps.
Recently I read how the company eTrove is launching a loyalty program for dental offices that rewards patients for ‘liking’ or posting on the office’s social media profile. The eTrove program, which operates on a mobile platform, details the practice’s social media performance. This includes stats, feedback and participation levels, on a dashboard. Patients can also manage their membership via smartphone, and points are delivered automatically.
The goal is to empower dental practices to expand their online presence and better engage with patients. This is a great step, but if you drill down deeper into the patient relationship, I think there also are behind-the-social-scene ways that medical practices can improve loyalty. Among them: Why not join a supplier’s loyalty program?
Have real conversations
A customer meeting should be a conversation and never a “sales call.” Always spend more time listening to the customer rather than talking to the customer. (And never, ever talk at a customer. No sales pitches!)
Brand loyalty … adaptation and change
Never stop trying new ways to get things done with many experiments to improve operations. I never arrive at my dentist without seeing something new he is trying. I like that, don’t you?
Brand loyalty examples … be consistent and reliable
People only offer loyalty to those whom they trust. Customers decide whether to trust you based upon your day-to-day behavior. If it’s unpredictable, they’ll shy away. If it’s consistent over time, they’ll know you can be counted on.
Best technology
One of the things I like best about my dentist is that he is always upgrading his tools and technology. These improve his performance and make his action more efficient (and less painful).
A great way to enhance customer loyalty in this profession, isn’t it?
Brand loyalty advantages … small gifts
My dentist is always making new suggestions for how to care for my teeth and gums. To reinforce some of these recommendations he gives free samples to customers to a guy. He does not benefit from these product samples.
Be willing to recommend competitors
When you’re open to the idea that the customer might be better served elsewhere, your customer will begin thinking of you as a trusted adviser. Or perhaps a consultant rather than a salesperson trying to make your numbers.
Go the extra mile
Occasionally surprise your customers … by going the extra mile.
The bottom line
Want to know one of the most effective examples to build your brand and create reciprocity with your customers?
By surprising them! People like getting things for free and like them, even more, when they are viewed as ‘favors’. But even more, they love receiving these favors as surprises.
Remember, don’t talk about how great you are … tell your customers a story about how what you do well will make them look awesome.
What are some of your experiences with customer loyalty and retention? Please share an experience with this community.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your branding design strategies? Such as creative branding ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?
Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to improving your continuous learning for yourself and your team?
Do you have a lesson about making your brand marketing better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
More reading on brands and branding from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Remarkable Branding Design: Spanish Bank Example
Secrets to the Remarkable Innovative Lady Gaga Brand
Here’s How to Make Your Brand Awesome
Branding Lessons Learned from the Beatles Brand
Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.