Take stock of the characteristics and value of brand loyalty!

Brand loyalty is often mentioned in daily communication. Everyone knows that it is very important, but few people can actually say what kind of behavior can be considered brand loyalty, what value can be gained from it and what role it plays.

1. Several manifestations of brand loyalty

Brand loyalty means that consumers have a special preference for a certain brand , so when they continue to buy such products, they only recognize it and give up trying other opportunities.

If you have the following performance, you can be said to have brand loyalty

(1) High repurchase rate of single products

This is the most basic indicator to measure a user's loyalty to a brand . For example, although there are many sports shoes to choose from, if users repurchase them over a long period of time, they can be said to have brand loyalty; and when a new product is launched, users are very likely to continue to buy the new product.

(2) Low price sensitivity

Take shampoo as an example. If you have been using Rejoice for a long time, and the prices of other products remain unchanged, will you stop buying it just because the price of Rejoice increases by one yuan, or will you feel the one yuan price increase? If you are not affected or even do not notice the price changes, it is also a manifestation of brand loyalty. In fact, most of the so-called price-insensitive users have developed loyalty to certain products that they have used for a long time.

(3) No competitors in sight

In the eyes of users who are truly brand loyal, competing products in the same category will be assumed to have no presence, or they will be considered inferior to their own choices, even if they are also very good.

For example, consumers of Adidas and Nike, and consumers of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, all boast of their leadership status. Star chasing is a more obvious example. Who is the No. 1 in history between Jordan and James, and which idol is the most popular at the moment, all explain well why the cheering phenomenon occurs.

(4) Willing to make extra efforts

The extra efforts here include many things, such as time, energy, personal resources and abilities, and even money.

Many users with high brand loyalty will spend more time paying attention to her information and even help her to spread the information for the second time. Like many foreign brands, they did not initially have a professional domestic communication team, and in many cases it was loyal fans who carried and spread the information. For example, there was a joke before, saying that an interview resume only needs to write that you have participated in support activities for a certain idol, because the energy, expenses, and even the influence of the project are amazing enough.

These are the extra payments made by users with higher brand loyalty.

(5) Accepting imperfection

Tolerance for a brand can largely measure whether a user has a high level of brand loyalty. For example, when she encountered a major public relations crisis and was condemned by the whole nation, there were still many users who firmly supported her and stood with her. These users must be loyal users. Of course, those who are willing to accept all faults without reservation are what we often call brainless fans.

2. The value of brand loyalty to the brand

There is a group of users who are highly loyal to the brand, and more importantly, it is necessary to tap the value brought by users.

(1) More competitive pricing power

There are two main aspects of pricing here. On the one hand, it is consumer-oriented pricing, which takes advantage of the fact that users with high brand loyalty are not sensitive to price.

The more important value is to bring consumer value through a group of users with high brand loyalty, and to gain bargaining power over the supply chain and sources of goods, thereby bringing more competitive pricing to itself.

This is also the fundamental reason why a newcomer into the market cannot compete with the giants at all, because the giants already have a large number of brand-loyal users and sales in the process of operating themselves, and the pricing power is in their hands. Think about why Saizeriya and Outlets can set lower prices and Starbucks can set higher prices. It’s all about the control of pricing power.

(2) Own communication channels

For users with brand loyalty, it is basically equivalent to a group of free communication channels, and may even be more effective than any known channel. Because these users are real and vivid examples and intuitive spokespersons. If there are influential KOLs or celebrities among them, the effect will be even more obvious. Therefore, the so-called old user operations can be divided into many levels, among which users with high brand loyalty are the most worthy of attention.

(3) Launching new products is more competitive

Every brand has a life cycle. Companies that rely on a single product to conquer the world will easily encounter growth bottlenecks. Therefore, we will see that many companies will continue to launch new products to maintain their vitality and market share.

Under this premise, it is often the users who already have brand loyalty who are more likely to promote new products. After all, due to their existing brand loyalty, these users believe in new products launched by the same company and are willing to pay for them. This is also a direction that companies can strive for, but the prerequisite is that the product must suit the tastes of loyal users, otherwise it will only consume trust.

(4) Higher risk tolerance

This corresponds to loyal users who can accept her imperfections and give her strong support when she encounters crises or negative situations. Of course, this is also a double-edged sword. If the brand cannot properly respond to or resolve negative issues, once loyal users "unfollow", it may bring stronger negative impact than other users.

3. How to obtain user brand loyalty

Different companies have their own operating methods, but there are some points that must be followed.

(1) Product competitiveness is the premise of everything

This is the prerequisite for getting users to follow you for a long time. Whether it is a product or an individual, trying to gain fans by taking shortcuts is only temporary. Having strong personal strength is the most fundamental thing.

（2）Truly put user experience first

It seems that every company is talking about this, but only when there are real trade-offs and conflicts of values ​​can we see which companies are really willing to give up other things for user experience.

(3) Don’t over-consume user trust​

Gaining user trust is something that has long-term value, but how to cleverly use this advantage to gain benefits is something that every company needs to think about. Frequently consuming user trust can only be a short-term profit-making behavior.

(4) Ability to correct mistakes

In fact, many companies are aware of their own problems, but are unable to make the final corrections, especially some large multinational companies or groups. Although there may be many complex factors involved, it is an important means to attract users in the long run.

In summary, the value of brand loyalty is far more important than we see. How to gain user trust and utilize this value reasonably and effectively is a long-term proposition that companies really need to think about.

Author: Lao Nie talks about brands

Source: Lao Nie talks about brands