Maintain interest in your company’s brand

While many companies may be placing the majority of their marketing efforts into bringing in new business, it is perhaps even more important to maintain the interest of customers after they have made an initial purchase. With any luck, doing so will help to establish a loyal base of clients and boost your long-term profits.

There are many ways this can be done. Here’s a look at some of your options:

Loyalty schemes

Running a loyalty scheme is one fantastic way to ensure that your business’s customers have the incentive to buy your goods and/or use your services time and time again. Competition in many sectors is particularly tough at the moment and you can’t assume consumers will always give you their custom.

However, implementing programs that offer your customers an additional reward for spending money with your business could reduce your churn rate. These schemes are especially popular among retailers and cafes. Boots, for example, run an Advantage Card loyalty initiative where customers who have a card receive four points for every pound they spend in-store. Each point is worth a penny and, over time, shoppers can build up a balance to pay for future purchases.

This is supplemented with special promotions and vouchers – such as ‘double points when you spend £20 or more’ – so offering a similar program could mean your customers have the incentive to spend more money in your store than they had originally planned to.

Offer free gifts

Giving out free gifts is another excellent way to maintain consumers’ loyalty and hold their interest in your brand. Everyone likes to get something for nothing, and distributing promotional gifts should mean your organization is viewed in a more positive light.

Indeed, research by the British Promotional Merchandise Association shows 79 per cent of people are more likely to do business with a company that has provided them with a promotional product.

Something like a pen or key ring can be given as a small token of appreciation for customers’ loyalty. These could be handed out in person or as part of a direct mail campaign. Generally speaking, it’s best to distribute products that can be used all year round – trolley coin key rings are one item that consumers will get plenty of use from – while seasonal-themed gifts could be a good way to retain customers in the run up to Christmas or other special times of the year.

You might want to combine the distribution of free gifts with loyalty schemes. This could be done by implementing a program where customers receive a stamp on a card each time they make a purchase from your business. Once the card is full, the customer could redeem their card for a free gift, be it a promotional hooded sweatshirt, travel mug or something else.

Let customers have their say

Last, but certainly not least, giving customers the opportunity to put forward their opinions can help maintain interest in your brand. Providing a forum for people to offer their views – whether it’s by having a suggestions box in-store or sending out email questionnaires – will help improve brand interaction.

Alternatively, you may wish to hold focus groups or invite customers to take part in product development sessions. Not only will your target audience feel like your company cares about what its customers think, but you’ll get assistance with developing your future business strategy!

We’ve covered just some of the ways that companies can maintain interest in their brand among their target audience, but if there’s anything important that you think we’ve missed let us know by leaving a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!