EOn platforms such as LinkedIn, TikTok and Spotify, there is an abundance of content circulating proclaiming the keys to marketing success. However, the real skill lies in the ability to apply each of the strategies to different brands. Benchmarks are often like pieces of a puzzle, and figuring out how to fit them properly into a company's uniqueness is a challenge that demands deep analysis for creativity. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
In the past, marketing used to follow rigid formulas that promised sales and loyalty through standardized approaches. Today, however, the picture is completely different. Today, on the contrary, there is talk of experiences, new customer service, emotions, differentiation, AI, metaverse. But how do you manage to execute these strategies masterfully, and which of them are really beneficial in all cases?
On the one hand,a significant number of companies have turned to gamification as their main loyalty tool. This practice involves the use of games to motivate people, challenging and rewarding them. This strategy has proven to be effective in cultivating a sense of achievement and leadership in the customer. However, it is essential to consider whether gamification manages to convey the values and identity of all brands in a consistent manner.
Other companies, on the other hand, have made hospitality a cornerstone of their loyalty strategy. Hospitality involves more than just customer service; it is a deep commitment to making each individual feel understood, welcomed and part of the company's community. This personalized approach requires not only being attentive to customers' needs, but also taking advantage of their feedback to continuously improve the quality of products and services.
For contemporary advertisers, emotions have emerged as the protagonists of the conversation. Emotional storytelling has become a powerful weapon for forging lasting memories in the minds of customers. The premise is simple, but powerful: by creating a meaningful emotional bond, brands aim to make customers not only remember their experiences, but also yearn to relive them again and again. However, it is necessary to create experiences that truly matter to consumers;
Then what is the main key to building loyalty? The answer with greater certainty is that there is no single strategy applicable in all cases, but there is a tool that helps in the purpose: differentiation. Standing out from the competition is not only a sign of a company's ego, but an imperative to drive the company's engine. By establishing a genuine and unique bond with consumers, a brand will not only attract new customers, but also come closer to earning their long-term loyalty.
Now, faced with the challenge of applying marketing strategies, often recommended on social networks, professionals are faced with a recurring question: how do these theories translate into the reality of their brands? Gamification, for example, can be a powerful tool, but its application will require different considerations if it is a fashion firm compared to a real estate brand. Likewise, the concept of hospitality changes significantly between a shopping mall and a restaurant, demanding approaches adapted to each context.
Therefore, it is clear that having a brand strategy, which emanates from a deep understanding of consumers through solid research, will allow discerning the company's personality, the psychographic aspects of its customers and the purpose of differentiation, to facilitate the choice of referents in a safe way and not die in the attempt to create loyalty.
Finally, it is not only a matter of avoiding imitation of other companies, but also of ensuring that the strategy unifies the message, behavior and budget, in order to be in line with the expectations of the audiences, thus ensuring consistency and brand loyalty.