People don’t buy from people or companies they don’t like. So it goes without saying that the more they like you, the more they buy from you. In developing the marketplace’s loyalty to you, you need to build up your “touches” with your customers. This means you need to have more positive interactions with them and the leading companies have been very successful in building “communities”. One of the most powerful way to develop communities and loyalty is through a blog.
Bangkok companies with great blogs know that before you start issuing “call to action” statements asking clients to buy, you need to build rapport with your community. Blogs do this by sharing fun and interesting posts with their audience or talk about others in the community. For instance, a company in Bangkok may discuss a school in Thailand that is raising money for a good cause while also providing a link to how people can donate money to the effort. What this does is show the public that your company is invested in the success and welfare of those in the community and “gives back”.
One of our clients at Bangkok Executive Search is a company whose market is largely young adults. Once a month it holds private VIP concerts within its stores and invites loyalty card holders. The events are promoted on their blog and posts often show what a great time customers are having at the events. These posts often go viral as people who have gone to the event want to share with others where they were and how much fun the VIP nights are at the stores. In reposting company blog posts, young people are reassuring others that this company is cool, fun and part of our community.
The Bangkok companies who have great blogs view their posts as an extension their brand marketing efforts so they focus on content that reflects the lifestyle and values of their customers. Another great idea for blog content is to feature “Event Calendars” discussing things that would be of interest to your customers. In letting your community know about things that would potentially be of interest to them, you show that you are not just a soulless corporate entity.
One company that is truly exceptional at promoting a lifestyle rather than just a brand is Red Bull. If you visit their website, the company features blog posts that are compelling as they show a variety of brand ambassadors performing death defying stunts. Red Bull knows that once a company is viewed as cool, then people will be more receptive to advertising messages. Furthermore, in avoiding direct and blatant advertising within its blog posts, the company has developed a sense of trust within its community as they aren’t just focused on making a sale.
In developing a blog, company is utilizing a free advertising medium that can potentially reach every man, woman and child. The internet has no borders and there are no restrictive “store hours” to contend with as you are open seven days a week, twenty four hours a day. In marketing and sales, the greater exposure you have to the marketplace, the greater your potential for success. In traditional sales for comparison, its typically one customer per one sales person which makes it incredibly inefficient.
Failure to integrate an active and engaging blog to your company website is one of the greatest mistakes a company can make as its free advertising. In developing customer loyalty, it may be one of the most effective tools a company has at its disposal so reevaluating your company’s level of commitment to blog content may be the best action your company takes in building up customer loyalty this year.
