8 Ways to Build Brand Loyalty with Social Media

Did you know that it’s up to five times more expensive to get new customers as it is to retain current ones? If that’s not enough reason to aim for brand loyalty, you also have a 60-70% chance of selling to existing customers, compared to a 5-20% chance for new customers.

But how do you get loyal customers?

If you want customers to keep coming back to your brand, you have to connect with them in meaningful ways. Social media is the perfect place to build these relationships.

You can have one-on-one conversations with customers so they feel connected to your brand, and you can showcase your unique brand personality through humor, images, and videos.

To help you get started, we’re providing eight strategies to build brand loyalty through social media.

We’ll show you how your business can implement each strategy, and we’ll provide examples of how other companies are using similar methods.

1. Be Responsive

Shoppers often ask questions or leave comments for businesses on social platforms, whether that’s chatting through Facebook Messenger or tweeting at a brand. While you might not be able to respond to every customer, it’s important to engage with as many as possible.

Why? Because responsiveness shows customers that you care about their needs, which builds their brand loyalty. In fact, 72% of millennials said they would be more loyal to a brand that responded to them. On the flip side, being unresponsive can decrease brand loyalty: 15% of Twitter users will unfollow a brand if the brand isn’t engaging with them enough.

Starbucks engages directly with customers by promptly replying to comments.

They are quick to respond to just about every comment or question, painting themselves as a responsive and communicative brand that cares about their customers.

2. Share Positive Customer Feedback

When a customer leaves a glowing review, don’t keep the great feedback to yourself. Share the input publicly on your social media accounts (with the customer’s permission, of course).

By posting positive reviews, you’re likely to attract new customers and reinforce current customers’ trust in your business. This is because of social proof, the psychological phenomenon of people’s tendency to follow the crowd. In the case of shopping, that means people place a high value on the opinions of other customers.

It’s OK to ask for positive reviews directly. When a customer leaves a positive comment about your business on your social media page, reply back or send a direct message thanking them for their comment and asking them to share their opinion in a review. You can then share the review on your social media page.

Classic Photographers regularly shares positive reviews from customers with the caption “feeling thankful.”

Not only does Classic Photographers enable potential customers to see how happy current customers are, but the company also shows their appreciation for existing customers at the same time.

3. Share User-Generated Content

Another way to build brand loyalty through social proof is by sharing user-generated content (UGC). UGC refers to photos, videos, and other content that shoppers create about using a brand’s products. This content builds trust in shoppers because it is created by customers, not the brand.

Invite users to tag your brand and use branded hashtags so you can find UGC more easily and share it on your page (with the creator’s permission, of course!). If you share UGC frequently, you’ll encourage participation from shoppers who want their content to be seen by all of your brand’s followers.

A great example of a UGC-driven social media campaign is GoPro and their Photo of the Day campaign.

The campaign encourages GoPro users to post their GoPro images and tag the company for a chance to have their picture featured. In one fell swoop, the company attracts new customers by showcasing happy current customers and builds brand loyalty with existing customers by featuring their content regularly.

4. Keep Customers in the Loop

Make your followers feel like they’re a part of the business by keeping them updated about what’s going on at your company and taking them “behind the scenes.” Since 63% of customers prefer brands that are honest and transparent, being open about your business’s practices is a great way to encourage a positive customer-brand relationship.

Your social media channels are the perfect platform for taking your followers behind the scenes. You can post walk-throughs of your products, interview employees, show pictures or videos of your office space, or share company events.

Glossier did this with their Milky Jelly cleanser.

In the video, Glossier details why they created this cleanser and what makes it different from other cleansers. Seeing the behind-the-scenes details of Glossier’s production, shoppers have reason to believe their skin-care products are well made and have reason to buy from Glossier rather than other brands.

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