According to a Forrester Research report from last year, 48% of marketers state that their top marketing goal is to grow long-term customer relationships. It’s impossible to deny the importance of customer loyalty — not only does it result in more word-of-mouth referrals, but it’s also a sure sign that your business is doing something right in the way of giving customers what they want and expect.
As crucial as authentic relationships are to a business’s success, though, it’s not always easy understanding how these bonds are developed over time. To help marketers pinpoint what messages resonate the most deeply with their customers, we’ve outlined some ways businesses can build those customer-focused, personal experiences that nurture loyalty and trust.
Social Experiences Matter
As more people interact across various social channels, we’re seeing a greater shift in online sharing: consumers are posting personal photographs, life event updates, and more, for their friend graphs — and at times, the entire web — to see and react to. How many times in the past month alone have you seen updates from your friends announcing engagements, new additions to the family, relationship status updates, and more?
This move towards a more connected, open social web reflects how consumers and businesses should interact in a landscape that encourages and facilities the sharing of users’ information in a secure, valuable way that encourages more social activity while safeguarding users’ personal information.
Incorporating ways for consumers to interact in the context of your website via social plugins like ratings and reviews, comments, and share bars puts your brand at the center of the social experience, effectively building relationships and developing a trusted social community around your brand.
Use Case: Dallas Morning News
Major daily newspaper Dallas Morning News implemented social plugins by adding social login and comments to its website. Authenticating user identities via social login before allowing them to comment not only turns anonymous users into known customers, but it also creates a more genuine and trusted user environment by reducing comment spam. These social implementations resulted in a 92% increase in comment activity, as well as a 95% decrease in labor needs for comment moderation.
Fact: 90% of consumers admit that their purchase decisions are influenced by consumer ratings and reviews.
Putting an End to Mass Marketing
As consumers continue moving towards more social digital experiences, it’s important for businesses to remain a step ahead of users. This means swapping mass marketing techniques for tailored messages that speak to users on an individual level. Businesses that successfully carry this out can expect to see greater conversions from their marketing campaigns and overall site experience.