Building Brand Loyalty in Uncertain Times

The COVID pandemic has created a shift in our landscape—challenging brands with building and maintaining their brand loyalty—as our idea of business as usual continues to evolve. As in-person events give way to virtual environments, how can you maintain brand loyalty with your customers? In the past, events have been leveraged to create unique experiences, inviting customers to participate in your brand and ideally generate lasting impressions. Our current state of business provides the opportunity for companies to evaluate their engagement strategy to determine if they are reaching their customers and showcasing their value during this time of change. Let’s explore a few ways to leverage the shift to virtual engagement and how this can benefit your loyalty strategy.

When change happens quickly, it can be met with confusion and instability. However, change presents an opportunity to reinforce your value and commitment. Virtual events are a great vehicle to drive your message, and they provide the ability to increase the number of attendees you can reach. Now may be the perfect time to demonstrate your adaptability by trying a new virtual outlet. There are so many creative options to suit your needs, from virtual trainings, webinars and trade shows, which provide an easy way for customers to hear what’s new or receive important updates. But don’t rule out the more unique options like virtual keynotes, meet-ups and AMAs (Ask Me Anything) that take a more interpersonal bi-directional approach.

Your Brand's Message Matters!

With so much digital content available, it’s important to remind customers why they have chosen to engage with your brand. Your message matters. Reiterate your value proposition and reinforce the differentiators. Leverage the success stories and the power of showcasing positive results. Consistency in messaging helps to reinforce the trust you share with customers and demonstrates how you are aligned in reaching your goals together. You should be as passionate about knowing your customer as you are about delivering your key messaging. Ask for feedback. What is working, what isn’t and what’s missing? Your virtual platforms likely provide critical data and insights to help analyze ROI, attendee engagement and feedback. The metrics matter too! They will help to validate your virtual strategy.

With any event, there are obstacles that can impact your ability to convey your message. The most common complaint of a virtual event is that attendees can be distracted easily. But if we shift the mindset and instead, focus on the flexibility and the extended reach, virtual events can be a great asset in keeping your brand top of mind. Be prepared, be creative, the message matters and don’t forget to ask for feedback. It’s time to try something new!