How to Build Brand Loyalty on Social Media

Brand loyalty may be a buzzword in the marketing world, but it’s far from a fad. And, in today’s day and age, we all know social is king. So, where do the two meet? And how can they live in harmony together? Let’s explore ways to build brand loyalty on social media.

What Is Brand Loyalty?

The first step in achieving brand loyalty is understanding what it is. Brand loyalty is essentially when customers strongly favor your brand over competitors. They already know and trust your brand, so they don’t need to be heavily targeted to buy your product or service.

Why Does It Matter?

What’s the big deal? Well, brand loyalty is vital – it can make or break your business. Loyal customers are unlikely to buy from your competitors. They become brand ambassadors, spreading the word about your company, product, or service to others. They’re more likely to leave honest (and positive) reviews. They drive in-store traffic and visits to your website. Brand loyalty has the power to grow your business for years to come.

In this digital age, social media is a crucial tool for building and retaining brand loyalty.

Why Social?

The numbers don’t lie. As of October 2023, there are 4.95 billion active social media users worldwide – over 60% of the population. If that’s not enough to convince you, let’s break down the numbers.

• There are roughly 6.8 new social users every single second.
• Nearly 79% of adults (18+) use social media.
• The average person actively uses around 6.7 social platforms each month.
• The typical user spends an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes a day on social.

Assuming we sleep 8 hours every night, that means that we spend around 15% of our waking lives scrolling through social. So, the importance of social media is not really up for debate! It’s the perfect place to build relationships with your customers and that brand loyalty thing we’ve been talking about.

Tips for Building Brand Loyalty on Social

Now that we know the what, where, and why, let’s get into the how.

1. Be Responsive

Social media is all about engagement, and it’s one of the first places customers go to ask questions or voice concerns about your business. So, make sure to respond to comments and messages. Responsiveness shows customers you care about what they have to say, which increases trust in your company.

2. Maximize Positive Reviews

Great reviews help you not only on Google but on social media as well. When you receive a review that boasts about the greatness of your company, product, or service, consider layering it into your social strategy. This form of word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful forms of advertising, as 88% of consumers trust their friends’ recommendations over traditional marketing efforts.

Additionally, be sure to look out for tags/mentions. Customers may use your product or service and tag you in a post on their profile. Repost it as an easy way to spread praise from others to your followers!

3. Embrace the Bad, Too

Equally as important as responding to positive reviews/comments is responding to negatives. There may come a time when someone is unhappy with your product, service, or business and goes to social media to share their opinion. While seeing it may be jarring, it’s okay – it happens!

Your first instinct may be to delete the negative comment/review for fear that others will see it and think less of your company. However, it may have the opposite effect. When users voice their concerns but are met with deleted content instead of a reply, their trust in you will plummet. To a customer, it may feel like your company is trying to hide something.

And flat-out ignoring the issue is just as bad. If you respond to all positive comments and reviews but leave the negative ones, it shows your customers you only care about the good and don’t want to correct the bad.

So, if a negative comment or review comes up, take a deep breath, face it head-on, and apologize. Research shows that customers are twice as likely to forgive a company that apologizes over one that offers monetary compensation for the error. Never underestimate the power of owning your mistakes.

4. Stay True to Your Brand

It’s important your audience knows what to expect from you – it builds trust. They want to know how you sound and understand your values, your content, your offerings, and so on. Maintaining a consistent brand voice across your website, emails, social channels, etc., helps solidify what customers know and love about your company. Don’t just hop on trends to try to stay relevant.

Clearly defining your company’s mission, vision, and core values can help your audience learn more about your company, whether they personally align with that, and what they should expect from you.

5. Work with Experts

Managing your social media on top of juggling everything else you need to do as a business owner can be daunting. Lucky for you, that’s where Graphcom comes in. We’re a nationally recognized marketing agency with over 40 years of experience. We can help you with everything social – from engagement to strategy to calendars and more.

As you navigate the waters of brand loyalty on social, remember to listen to your audience, show them you care, spread the positive, apologize for the negative, and stay true to yourself. And if you get lost somewhere along the way, don’t worry – Graphcom is here to help!