The secret to building brand loyalty (… yep, the one all the big players use).

Big brands don’t want one sale, they want their customers to choose them every time. Companies spend millions developing a brand strategy to do just that. For the rest of us, we can learn a lot without spending a fortune by studying how they do it. And I’ll tell you the ONE THING they ALL do that you can do too.

It doesn’t matter what your company is saying about itself. If it’s just a big sales pitch, your audience will switch off.

Yes, you ARE doing impressive stuff and your products ARE worth gloating about. But saying that on repeat gets old quick.

We’re all consumers, and we’re a savvy, fickle bunch. If we sense the tiniest hint of insincerity or the writing gets repetitive – we’ll switch off or click the ‘back’ button.

So if you’re not pushing your product in front of your customer, what are you doing?  It’s time to slam the door on the cheesy door-to-door salesman and start developing techniques to draw your customers in and keep them coming back for more.

To stand out from the competition, you need to be unique

In most copywriting, you’re probably writing for an audience who has checked out your competition or is about to. So you need to be saying something fresh and distinct. If your product or service isn’t that different from your competitors, you need to dig deeper.

For example, copywriting in healthcare overuses the phrase “we care”. In business, copywriting loves the phrase “value-added”. And everyone’s products are “high quality”. Well duh! Your customers expect this already, so you’re wasting words. What else have you got?

Don’t tell them you’re the best. Show them why you are.

People want proof before they’ll believe you, so get specific with examples.

Imagine you’re inviting people to a fun party. That word ‘fun’ can mean very different things. And there’s a bunch of cynics out there who’ll suspect your idea of fun isn’t theirs. So tell them what you’re doing to make it a fun party. Free food and drinks, fancy costumes, a fire-breathing dragon, (I go to some weird parties) – people want to know what to expect so they can come prepared or politely decline.

By getting specific, some people will step away if it’s not for them. But you’ll create a space that draws in your ideal customers. Those who’ll do more than just check you out, but take that next step and buy into you and your products.

Tell your audience they’re great too.

No-one likes a limelight stealer. Don’t miss the chance to make your reader feel good about themselves.  People are more likely to believe your products or services will be good for them if you’re making them feel special already.

Let your audience know that you get them. That you’re just like them. That their lives make sense to you. This is about creating a bigger picture. Think about the world your customers live in and then how your product or service fits into that.

Nailed it. Now what? 

Let’s say you’ve worked hard on your brand identity. You’ve identified your unique selling point and you know exactly who your ideal customer is. What do you do now?

This is where we can learn from the big players. The big secret to loyal customers who come back time and time again is simple:

“Facts tell, stories sell,” – Bryan Eisenberg

I spent years working in radio, television, and advertising. The one thing they all have in common is storytelling. Narrative content draws you in, keeps you hooked, and gives you an ending you love. The chances are you tell others about it too. This is what branding is all about.

So how do you tell a story about your business or a new product?

Once you know what your brand is about, you need to create an interesting story around it. Like a good novel, you want to structure the story around a problem and then solve it by the end. But it doesn’t need to win a booker prize to be effective. 

Telling a story is about relating to your target audience’s experiences. It could be something that evokes a feeling or a memory. Something that makes you relatable. When your story resonates, your readers will care about your company and what you do.

Don’t just speak to your audience, speak like them

Another key aspect of telling a story is the written voice. What speaks to a teenage girl will differ vastly from what resonates with a 47-year-old man. Think about the words your customers use and mirror them. Understand their life experiences and how your product fits into their world. Getting this right will keep your audience reading what you have to say.

So shouldn’t copy drive action not tell stories?

It can do both! A story doesn’t have to be a long whimsical tale. Short and sweet works too. Your story is a way to create a marketing campaign that connects your audience to your brand. Finding that story will dig deeper and resonate longer than just a one-off marketing idea.

Here’s an example:

Remember the Oxo mum adverts from the 80s? The Christmas lunch disaster, the Sunday dinner argument, the chaotic evening meal. They were all simple stories solved in the same way – with Oxo gravy at the dinner table.

The audience related to this imperfect version of the family unit. It felt realistic, honest, and relatable. And we bought the gravy. They could have just said “our gravy is the best”, but Oxo used stories to come up with fresh ways to drive home their message – theirs was the only gravy everyone agreed on.

So if you’re only now starting to look at brand identity, start thinking about the stories you can tell. Look at branding as a long-term investment. Your customers will thank you for it and come back for more.