For a long time, market messaging by the advertisers has mainly revolved around the product or service, which worked very well. But will it work in today’s market?
There is no doubt that consumer expectations are changing. They expect the brands to invest in building genuine relationships and speak up about the issues and values that matter most to them.
The good old “hard sell” still matters. Customers still want better quality, reliability, and price. But they want something more from the brands rather than simply buying their product or service.
Let’s see how today’s need to connect with customers affects your brand’s position in the market according to Google.
Consumers are easily influenced socially and politically because of the vast information available online. This has created a lot of pressure on the brands to be authentic and have proper value alignment in the market exponentially.
Porter Novelli/Cone’s study found that 76% of the consumers expect a positive impact of the businesses on the society rather than just making money, and 70% expect to feel a deeper personal connection with companies with similar values.
Marketers also face this unavoidable issue of coming out as opportunistic or performative or just choosing a topic they could or should support.
Around 86% of the consumers (as perPorter Novelli/Cone’s study) prefer the companies that support issues directly or indirectly impacted by the business. So, it is safe to say that you can start or join a conversation relevant to your industry, business, customers, or even employees.
Consumers are quick to spot a disconnect between the issue and the brand. It is not enough to talk about it. Your brand will be seen as “unauthentic” if your actions are contrary to your brand’s values and beliefs.
There are many options for your brand to build long-term relationships with its customers. However, they also have this valuable resource called “data,” which can help them determine their plans according to what customers care about the most.
If we see Gen Z as a case study, they have incredibly high expectations and value for authenticity from your business. They are the future of your company. Brands have traditionally tried to connect socially and politically to customers who feel alienated. But they lag on the opportunity to resonate with the customers they are trying to please.
As mentioned above, through marketing data, brands can find about what the customers care and value the most. Directly surveying the customers can give a more precise and significant understanding of what customers want and prioritize. This way, you can connect personally with the customers and gain their trust.
Don’t let the marketing make decisions about your brand’s mission; instead, let your customers be the key stakeholders while you advocate for the customers whose concerns are relevant to your business.
Work hard to build an authentic relationship with your customers for the long run. First, try to win their loyalty and focus on what they want and expect. Then, determine what the consumers genuinely value and communicate it with your team to develop the best solution possible.
You can use this checklist to build a better brand connection:
