Customer is King, means valuable for any goods or service company. However is the same been adhered on ground? With the growing digital marketing, notifications, retargeting, upselling, cookie policy, chasing customers in digital platform is growing concern and makes customer to think am I been treated properly? my loyalty is respected? Or brand is trying to make more money from me?
Many brands that everyone of us come across in digital space is now taking the customer for granted. You name the brand, platform the way they track and chase customer in digital platform with Digital Ads, Promotions, digital marketing is really alarming that it makes customer frustrated.
Do brand think customer would like if you follow him everywhere? — Every user get atleast 100+ notifications in their smartphones from the apps they have installed. This is eating data for sure and on the other hand annoying customer on “Why so many notifications?”, following by that multi channel marketing through SMS, Emails, Whatsapp, Social Media retargeting, what not and where not?
Building blocks for loyalty in digital era — It is more than a decade now the number of users who use smart phone with internet connectivity had grown exponentially. They time spent on the smart phone and digital platforms are also growing exponentially. This is directly correlated, however the inverse is they get fed-up easily if not finding values on every touch point the brand connects with them in digital space. Key important factors needs to be considered on
- Frequency matters
- How and where you reach customer
- Hear back from customer, and given them explicit options to opt-out
- Build Loyalty bucket to exclude
Why Frequency matters — Customers mindshare in digital space is critical by over doing of connect with them make them feel frustrated and land up in losing a valuable customer and their life time value. Be unique from other brands and make that a USP by asking customer to define the frequency on when they want to be reached and adhere the same. Every loyal customer has a breaking point and avoid testing it frequently.
How and where to reach your customer — It is time to get rid of the regular digital advertisement by dropping a cookie, chasing them where ever they go, show them across multi channel as this really tests customer loyalty towards brands. Brand who consider their customer loyal will try to plan their communication on how to reach loyal customer effectively. No overlapping or miscommunication, not more than 1 or 2 channel to reach, no multiple offers for retargeting or upselling. Plan the way on how to speak to a king as “Customer is King”
Listen to your loyal customer — With the current count of notification individual receive, emails to their mailbox — makes us to think am I associated with the right brand? Brand should remember that the customer opt for the cookie, communication policy of the respective brand by assuming that brand knows customer loyalty and as customer I give the responsibility to brand to treat me loyally. Do all brand do the same? if not then the brand should relook into this seriously and redefine. Every customer is unique and same size does not fit to everyone. Brand should listen to their loyal customer and allow them to change they way they want to be communicated and do no allow the machine algorithm to decide. Allowing customer to decide is the 1st step to show they are important. Brands that hear their customer and change their communication grow and others do not.
Loyalty Bucket — Another best way to treat the loyal customer is to exclude them from chasing and following across platform. Identify and build a bucket with all your loyal customer, isolate them from all your digital marketing and advertisement. Every loyal customer know what is the brand and what it can deliver and when to reach and that is the strength of the brand that brings back the customer.
Do you think your association to a brand is treated properly? Do you think the brand values your loyalty? If not this is a strong message that every brand should think of.
