When it comes to creating brand loyalty understanding customer needs is vital to efficient marketing that actually delivers service and ensures that customers choose a particular brand over any other. Effective marketing is vital to this process but companies also need to understand the fundamental needs of their customers and target products and services through the lens of core needs. A recent statistical analysis found that market share can increase by up to 25% simply by understanding and responding to customer needs. With that in mind we take a look at the basic customer needs and how companies can tap into them.Value
Customers need to feel they are getting value from your products and services and this value is paramount to whether you increase sales and build long term profitable customer relationships. Value can be determined in a number of ways – monetary, usability, status etc. and it is important that companies define the value they offer and allow customers to be drawn by this value.
Valued
Customers must feel valued in order to become loyal. They have to feel that they are part of the company and that they are important. Ensuring customers feel valued can be achieved in a variety of ways and remains integral to their desires.
Friendliness
In our social world a company must appear as amiable and approachable. The image of distant corporations is one that is entrenched in society and companies need to work to improve their public image. Both brands and products need to appear friendly in order to compete in today’s consumer culture. Customer service and the personalisation of service are critical to fulfilling this need.
Options
Even if your company only sells one product customers need to feel they have options. Providing options mean that you offer a degree of control to the customer and that they feel they are making the choice that most fits with them. Being an individual and individualizing oneself is integral to being human in the 21st century and a company cannot fail to ignore this.
Informed
The modern customer needs to feel informed and they want to know all the details of your products and services so that they can make an educated choice. Failing to provide clear terms and conditions or failing to provide open product information is a sure fire way to disenfranchise customers and lose credibility.
This has happened to many companies and is particularly rampant in the mobile phone service sector where many companies have faced popular backlash against hidden fees, terms and charges.
Trust
Finally trust is one of the most important ways we can create brand loyalty and one of the most important needs of a consumer. Trust applies to all aspects of business from the physical product itself to the company and its employees. It encompasses much of what we have already discussed but also entails that you endeavor to create a brand identity that fosters trust – whilst showing in turn that your customers are trusted.
