Written by Christopher Melotti
What’s one telltale sign that a business is growing?
The first thing that perhaps came to your mind was revenue growth – which is a GREAT answer – but not quite what I’m looking for.
Because, as per the title, it’s about the customers.
After all, they are the ones who make revenue growth possible, right?
This is probably why customer-centricity may be one of the biggest buzzwords in business and marketing today.
But the way I see it, it’s so much more than that.
Sure…everyone says that!
But I mean it!
With customer-centricity, you are anchoring your business growth on the people who matter most: your precious customers.
Because, at the end of the day, it is and will always be about how your customers respond to your brand. A customer-centric strategy IS one of the best ways to secure brand growth.
This is the strategy behind Samsung, Aldi, and Mercedes Benz – some brands that I personally LOVE.
And that is what I’ll be talking about in this article.
Why customer-centricity is a non-negotiable (not just a nice-to-have)
Yes, you need to prioritise your customers to ensure continuous growth. I know I’m not the first person to claim this.
However, let’s pause for a while and talk about what happens if you don’t.
Well, let’s just say that is a VERY costly mistake.
If you don’t put the needs and preferences of your customers at the centre of your operations, you’re falling into the trap of assuming that your customers already understand your brand.
As a Marketing Consultant, I see this a lot.
When this happens, you’re missing one crucial aspect of being a strong brand: a brand needs to be built in the customer’s mind. This mistake is how a brand becomes boring, bashful and bogus.
In other words, easily forgotten.
NEVER. LET. THAT. HAPPEN.
Wow – that’s heavy. I didn’t mean to scare you. Well, just a bit – that’s how wake-up calls work, right?
But worry not, because I have the answer to HOW you can keep this from happening too. I’ve seen brands fall into this trap and I also know what it takes to get back up.
“Chris, get to the point!!!”
How does a business ensure customer-centric brand growth?
Okay, here’s the secret…
(Make sure your competitors are not seeing this.)
The key is to be SUPER proactive, so your brand doesn’t become invisible.
And once you are visible, you want to make sure you are remembered for all the right reasons.
Sounds a bit simple, right? Don’t worry – there’s A LOT more to this.
In this article, you’ll find out what it takes to grow your brand in a customer-centric way (which, in my opinion, is the surest way to grow).
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
If you’re looking for something in particular or if any of these chapters have instantly captured your interest, feel free to skip ahead.
But if I were you, I wouldn’t – each chapter is chock-full of value and you wouldn’t want to miss these insights if you’re serious about growing your brand.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Melotti
Brand Comms Strategist, Marketing Advisor & Message Marketer Founder of Melotti Media
Christopher Melotti is a well-established and renowned Australian Marketing Professional who lives by the motto, “Continually challenge, consistently grow, constantly humbled, confidently show.”
Christopher founded, manages and is the Creative Director of Melotti Media Copywriting and Message Marketing Bureau, where he and his team work with a wide range of clients from Government, Medical and Education, to Marketing, Legal Firms, Finance and more.
Chris’ goal is not just to articulate brands and mastermind messaging strategy, but to demonstrate the potential that clear, consistent communications offer businesses. Everything Melotti Media does is about evolving marketing practise by providing superior, relevant value (entertainment and education) through proactive action.
Christopher Melotti is also a highly-sought Business Advisor and Marketing Consultant.
Christopher has won many prestigious awards for his work, the most notable being the Australian Business Champion’s Copywriting Business Of The Year 2022, Australian Achiever Awards 2021 National Winner for Marketing Services and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the Year award in 2017 (Australian Marketing Institute), and teaches a range of professional business marketing classes across Australia.
Chapter 1: What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
Let’s break this down into its parts.
First, let’s talk about customer-centricity.
What is customer-centricity?
In essence, customer-centricity is all about placing the customer at the heart of all decisions and strategies.
By prioritising the needs and preferences of customers, businesses can create products and experiences that resonate, which then naturally leads to increased customer satisfaction and retention.
So, if you’re aiming for brand growth (which, of course, I know you are), it is crucial to maintain a customer-centric approach that fosters stronger customer relationships, enhances brand loyalty and subsequently, drives sustainable success.
What does customer-centricity do for your business?
Easy – people choose you when they GET you.
So, a customer-centric approach will not only differentiate your brand in a competitive market but will also help people choose you for all the right reasons – and, if nurtured well, will also promote positive word-of-mouth, attracting new customers towards you.
Once you get into this cycle, it will keep going.
Isn’t that ideal? To have customers who bring in MORE customers.
All you have to do is to make sure that customers are fulfilled and satisfied with your service, so they will confidently advocate for you.
Ultimately, understanding, valuing and creating strategies around your customers’ perspectives contribute significantly to long-term brand growth and profitability.
What is an example of a customer-centric brand?
Let’s start with a brand we all know about: Starbucks.
Whether Starbucks is your favourite coffee shop or not, there’s no denying that Starbucks has established a worldwide brand by prioritising more than just coffee.
They have crafted a distinct customer experience: from seasonal and personalised drink options to inviting store atmospheres to reward programs that encourage people to keep coming back.
They know their customers so well – and that is how they have built a brand that customers would recognise anywhere. This, then, consistently creates demand for the brand.
But this leads us back to the question: how can you make this happen for your brand?
The answer: the three pillars of customer-centric brand growth.
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Chapter 2: What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
The three pillars of customer-centric brand growth are straightforward and simple:
1. Pillar 1: Know. Your. Audience.
Truly know them by heart. Understand what keeps them up at night. What pushes them to make decisions? What makes them tick?
2. Pillar 2: Create a seamless customer experience.
From what you know about your audience, be sure you’re across all touchpoints and that everything they see, hear and experience about your brand says the same thing: “You chose us. You made the right choice.”
3. Pillar 3: Build customer loyalty and advocacy.
Now that they love you, you have the chance to leverage that love to get more attention from potential customers. Make them fall in love with your brand enough that they can’t help but spread the word.
These pillars collectively create a holistic approach to customer-centric brand growth, and they are interconnected in nature. Once you’ve covered all these bases, that’s when you can see their impact on your brand.
So, let’s do this and talk about these pillars in detail.
You ready? I AM!
Chapter 3: The First Pillar – Understanding Your Customers
In the ever-evolving landscape of business, where customer preferences shape industry trends and market dynamics, gaining a profound understanding of your audience is no longer JUST a competitive advantage – it is a MUST for achieving business success.
The ability to know AND make sense of the intricacies of:
- customer demographics,
- behaviours and
- preferences
sets the stage for strategic decision-making, personalised experiences and long-term brand loyalty – which is what every brand needs to grow.
So, let’s explore the pivotal components of crafting customer understanding, and discuss how a data-driven approach unravels the layers of your target audience.
Data-driven customer understanding is key.
When it comes to truly knowing your customers, there is no room for guesswork.
Which means data is your best friend here – and you have to make sure to use it to your brand’s advantage.
Understanding your customers begins with deciphering the wealth of data at your disposal – whether it’s
- interactions on your social media posts,
- the leads you generate every month across platforms or
- the feedback you receive directly from customers.
All these give you the necessary insight into your customers.
As you may already have access to all these, the next step is to find meaningful patterns and trends that will (and SHOULD) inform your decision-making process.
Let’s break this down into two important parts:
- Know WHO your customers are
- Know HOW these customers behave
So, who are your customers?
“Anyone can be my customer” – while this is an answer commendable for the level of confidence it takes, any brand that answers this risks marketing without a clear target. Which, as you may have guessed, may not be as effective as a targeted and strategic approach.
So, it’s important to establish the foundational layer of customer understanding.
- Who are your customers?
- Where do they reside?
- What age group do they belong to?
These questions are not mere enquiries. These are gateways to tailoring your products, services, and marketing strategies to resonate with specific audiences.
From these seemingly abstract and random data points come actionable insights that will guide your brand towards a more targeted and relevant approach.
Now, how do your customers behave?
Understanding the HOW behind customer actions is equally crucial as identifying who they are. Here are just some behavioural patterns to look out for:
- online interactions,
- purchase history or
- engagement metrics.
Collectively, this will tell a story of their preferences and motivations. It is through an understanding of these hows that a business can:
- anticipate needs,
- dentify pain points and
- refine strategies.
A real-life example of customer understanding and brand growth
How does the first pillar look in action, you ask? Great question!
Think of Canva, for example.
Canva has over 135 million monthly users across 190 countries and is one of the most renowned, innovative brands of today.
None of this happened by chance.
They do comprehensive customer research and go the extra mile to understand all 135 million customers. From surveys to social media engagements to more complex research tools, Canva dedicates resources to knowing their audience.
And we can all see where this led the brand.
How can you do this for your brand?
Understanding your customers is all about connecting the two key factors above with your brand itself and answering these questions:
- What do your customers like?
- Why do they choose your brand over others?
And how can you get the answers to these questions? Sometimes, the best strategies are the most straightforward ones.
What strategies can you implement to understand your customers?
Strengthening the first pillar may be easier than you think. You can try the following (if you haven’t yet) and get a head start on defining your customers.
1. Conduct surveys and polls.
Ask them online or have some survey forms or kiosks readily available in your stores. Check what they’re looking for!
2. Or, try Focus Group Discussions.
Take that up a notch and form a group where you can have a more comprehensive discussion.
3. Always encourage feedback.
Whether it’s about the quality of your products, services or the experience they have with your brand, direct feedback is the best way to understand them.
4. Check market trends, too.
Of course, customers are affected by various factors surrounding them as well. So, if you’re well-versed in the trends in your industry, that’s surely a plus.
Check this out, it might be helpful:
5. Lastly, watch your competitors.
What is it that they do differently to attract customers? How are your customers different from theirs? Trust me – this will give you more insight into the way your customers think.
By understanding the complexities of your ideal customers, you lay the groundwork for crafting experiences that seamlessly align with their expectations.
Once you know your customers like the back of your hand, the next step is to put all this knowledge into action and make sure that it propels your brand forward.
So, the second pillar is about this: creating a seamless customer experience rooted in your clear understanding of your target market.
Want to know more about that? Okay – just keep scrolling.
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Chapter 4: The Second Pillar – Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
Seamless customer experience may sound just like another buzzword, but again, I say it’s SO much more than that. Because I believe it’s one of the strongest foundations of brand growth.
How so?
When you foster satisfaction at every touchpoint, you’re building lasting impressions that your customers will remember you by. In the same way, any chink in that armour can negatively affect your brand. You never know what could ruin an experience – it could be a delay in response or a mismatch in the experience during the initial call vs the follow-up.
You see where I’m going with this?
In the intricate landscape of customer experiences, every single step matters.
Navigating the journey from the initial awareness to post-purchase interactions requires a deliberate and strategic approach. So, when I say customer experience is what’s behind brand growth, I’m not just talking about a series of good interactions here.
I’m talking about a full, comprehensive and cohesive journey for your customers.
Which, good news – you can totally manage.
Customer Journey Mapping is the key to a seamless customer experience
There are 8 stages of the customer journey to be aware of, even before the moment a potential customer becomes aware of your brand to the post-purchase phase.
In an ideal world, a stranger goes through these stages in this exact order – but I can’t exactly promise you that’s what happens 100% of the time.
What I can guarantee you is that every customer will go through all these stages at some point in time, although they may stay longer in some. Every time someone gets to the advocacy phase (which I will talk about more later), that’s how you know that you have successfully curated your customers’ journey.
By mapping out this customer journey, you gain insights into the pivotal moments that shape your precious customers’ perceptions and influence their decisions.
How to prepare for each step of the customer journey
Let’s go through some of the defining features of each stage. I’ll also share some actionable tips that you can try to implement across each stage.
1. Stranger
In this stage are the people whose pain points you can address but they don’t know about you just yet. So, at this point, you want to be as gentle as possible – tough sells won’t work for them.
2. Awareness
They now know your name and what you do – but they’re not that attached to your brand yet. As such, you want to guide them towards connecting your brand with their pain points.
3. Interest
Now, you have their attention! This is the best time to show them what you can do. Prove your solution is exactly what they need.
4. Trust
Trust is hard to earn, so this is a crucial stage. This means you may need to supplement your previous efforts with even more effort that will reassure your customers.
5. Consideration
Walls are coming down and they’re almost converted! They’re already weighing options so if there’s a time for a tough sell, it’s at this stage. Bring out everything that you’ve got!
6. Purchase
Well done – you’ve made the sale! At this stage, you want to make sure that the transaction is as smooth as possible. Meet deadlines, give updates – constantly communicate.
7. Experience
Because the purchase is never the end of the journey. It’s smart (and actually more cost-effective) to nurture converted customers – because they no longer have to go through the initial stages again. Just keep showing them love.
8. Advocacy
Final stage – they rave about your brand to everyone who would listen. This is when you unlock the ultimate and most powerful form of marketing: word of mouth.
Want a more in-depth discussion on this? Check this out:
Does this actually work? Of course! Just think about Telstra.
From the ads to surveys to the exclusive deals for existing customers, Telstra has created a full journey for its customers – constantly building trust and rewarding loyalty to nurture it.
That’s a great example of leveraging Customer Journey Mapping.
How can you help your customers across the customer journey?
Basically, the goal is to be everywhere, all at once (well, as much as strategically possible).
If you’re across all these stages, it will be easier to address friction points and common objections that may push your customers away. The caveat, of course, is that your efforts on Customer Journey Mapping, are all rooted in a clear understanding of your customers (that’s why it’s the first pillar).
What help customers move along faster in the journey are:
- accessibility of the brand
- consistency of the brand
Be wherever your customers are. In short, develop an omnichannel presence.
If they look up “[YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE] near me” on Google, you want them to see you on top. You want your digital ads to be seen as they scroll through Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. You want them to come across print ads (if applicable) and recognise you there.
And once you’re everywhere, be consistent.
Consistency is the thread that weaves the entire customer experience together. A uniform brand image and messaging across all channels create a cohesive narrative, reinforcing brand identity and fostering familiarity.
Truth is, inconsistent brands create confusion and dilution of the customer experience. You don’t want that to happen!
And I’m not even talking about social media here.
I mean giving your customers the same feeling across every interaction. If your ads make them feel, “Oh, this is a brand that genuinely cares about me,” you want them to have the same feeling when they talk to you on the phone to enquire.
That’s how you ensure seamless experiences: CONSISTENCY. IS. STILL. KEY.
Once you’ve ensured that all touchpoints are covered, your customers will naturally move towards the advocacy stage – and all that’s left to do is to nurture those loyal advocates so they can keep spreading positive words about your brands.
How can you do that, then? Let’s talk about the final pillar.
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Chapter 5: The Third Pillar – Building Brand Loyalty And Advocacy
This third pillar is about nurturing your customers even if, and especially because they have already made a purchase.
It’s in this phase that you go beyond the transactional and aim for sustainable brand growth. That’s because loyal customers become devoted advocates, contributing not only to repeat business but also to the amplification of your brand through positive word-of-mouth.
Nurtured well, your customers turn into brand ambassadors – and this is the kind of marketing that always works.
3 ways to build brand loyalty and advocacy
In this chapter, I’ll share three great strategies that can help you with customer loyalty and advocacy. Let’s see which ones you already have in place (well done, you!) and which ones you can adopt moving forward.
1. Craft tailored, personalised experiences.
Customers love to feel that you’re looking after them and that you genuinely care about their needs, preferences and pain points.
So, one-size-fits-all approaches tend to fall short and personalisation becomes a great catalyst for customer loyalty. Tailoring products, services and communications to individual customer preferences transforms the customer experience into a journey that feels intimately curated.
It’s the same reason why sharing platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have carefully curated algorithms. They show users the videos that they like, and they have targeted ads that match the users’ specific interests – all these contribute to personalised experiences that people keep coming back to.
You can achieve the same by regularly following up with your customers, asking them how you can further assist them with their purchase and (at the right time) offering more products that they might enjoy, too.
2. Try offering loyalty programs.
Loyalty programs are more than just a set of perks. Usually, these are what encourage customers buy from you again and subsequently, building an enduring relationship with your brand.
By implementing loyalty programs and rewards systems, businesses can incentivise repeat business, creating a mutually beneficial dynamic. Just think of these loyalty programs and how they have connected brands with customers:
- Coles Flybus,
- Woolworths Everyday Rewards,
- Qantas Frequent Flyer,
- Velocity Frequent Flyer,
- MyMacca’s Rewards and
- eBay Plus.
Which of these reward programs are you in?
In the same way, what type of loyalty programs will your customers be interested in? Will a referral program be more beneficial for both your brand and your customer?
Your programs need not be extravagant – they just need to appeal to your customers, based on how you know them.
3. Turn customers into brand champions.
People trust people. That’s a fact.
If you want to resonate with more people, the best way is to highlight how your offerings have affected actual people’s lives.
So, beyond transactional interactions, you can also encourage customers to become enthusiastic advocates for your brand.
It could be as simple as asking for a Google review after they purchase.
You can also ask for video testimonials that you can share on socials. Or, create a case study on the work that you’ve done for customers.
The point is to tell genuine stories of people and to use the power of customer stories to create a ripple effect of positive brand sentiment.
Bonus: it makes customers feel heard (so, plus points for nurturing loyalty) and the kind words can help boost your team’s morale too. Win-win, right?!
The best way to look at customer loyalty is this: not merely as a transactional outcome but as a testament to the emotional connection between your brand and your patrons. It’s a way of showing how your brand resonates with your audience.
Loyalty and advocacy initiatives are not isolated efforts but part of a holistic approach to building enduring relationships.
This final pillar is the last step in the narrative of sustained success and organic growth.
Chapter 6: What Now? Integrating The Three Pillars
What’s the most common approach to Pricing Strategy?
Now that I’ve discussed the 3 pillars – it’s only natural for you to ask, “So what do all these mean for my brand, Chris?”
To which I would answer:
… these are non-negotiables if you want to see your brand growing.
To achieve customer-centric brand growth, each pillar must flow smoothly onto the next and become a cycle that keeps moving to form the cornerstone of sustained growth for your brand.
So, let’s briefly go through how these three pillars work hand-in-hand.
The first pillar, Understanding Your Customers, is your guiding principle – a compass if you will, for all the branding, marketing and sales efforts that you will implement within the business. It is only by fully utilising a data-driven approach to customer understanding that you can lay the foundation for the next two pillars: seamless experience and brand loyalty.
Seamless Customer Experiences, on the other hand, is the narrative that unfolds at every touchpoint, from the first introduction to post-purchase engagements. It requires you to be across every stage so you can have elements that intertwine to create a rich tapestry of experiences that will drive customers’ decisions and draw them towards your brand.
And, as you may have noticed, the third pillar is actually the final step of the customer journey that you need to account for: Building Loyalty. Building on a foundation of understanding and delivering exceptional experiences, loyalty becomes the natural culmination. It is at this point that you can transform customers into brand advocates, fostering a community of devoted supporters who not only return but actively champion your brand.
The three pillars NEED to reinforce each other.
The true power of a customer-centric approach lies in the synergy of these three pillars.
Understanding informs the creation of personalised experiences, how exceptional experiences foster loyalty, and how loyal customers, in turn, provide valuable insights for a deeper understanding.
The interconnectedness of these pillars creates a harmonious cycle of growth, where each aspect reinforces and elevates the others.
Once you have achieved brand loyalty, the cycle keeps going.
Any brand that does not want to be stagnant needs to understand that maintaining these pillars is an ongoing process.
There will always be new customers to understand, create a seamless experience for and turn into advocates. There is also a chance that the demands of your existing customers will evolve, which requires another round of understanding and Customer Journey Mapping.
This is a rinse-and-repeat kind of thing – but the good thing is you always see the results.
It just keeps on evolving along with your business and your customers.
And because it’s a continuous process, it’s only natural for customer-centric brand growth to come with challenges.
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Chapter 7: Challenges and, of course, Solutions
Of course, there are always challenges.
But worry not – because I’m not just talking about the challenges. I’ll talk about the possible solutions as well.
3 common challenges + solutions when implementing a customer-centric growth strategy
1. Resistance to change
If your business is at a point where you already have customer service strategies in place, it can be challenging to take a step back and scrap everything that you know in favour of fully understanding your customers before taking action.
But, as I’ve always said, “this is the way we’ve always done it!” is such a dangerous mentality.
It’s the enemy of innovation and although I am not disregarding the reasons behind this, there’s a right way to get everyone involved in the process.
So, the solution?
Get buy-in by rationalising the change. Discuss all aspects of the change and be sure to get the team’s input as well. This way, they can fulfil the pillars with a purpose and not see it as a task that adds to their long to-do list.
First challenge – DONE!
2. Data overload
Well, I just claimed earlier that data is your best friend. But it’s also true that it can be challenging to start making sense of data – especially when you have a lot.
What do you do when this happens? Get some help!
You can implement efficient data management systems and analytic tools.
Don’t be afraid to use tools that can streamline the process for you, just be sure to always interpret data with ample consideration to the human aspect of it.
After all, your customers are and will always be humans with human emotions and nuances that only you can make sense of. Find the balance between utilising the data and adding your own perspective, so you’re never looking at customers as if they’re just random numbers.
3. Short-term focus
Customer-centric brand growth is a long game.
So, aiming for quick wins may overshadow the long-term vision of sustained growth.
Along the way, you may find yourself struggling at some stages, wondering if your efforts are actually working. That’s perfectly natural!
How can you address this challenge?
Always look at the big picture and go back to your vision.
But – do not forget to give yourself a pat on the back for every small win, too! If today, you have one lead who saw your content on social media and enquired – that’s a win! If one of your customers leaves you a positive review – that’s another win!
All these long-term and short-term benefits come together to build the foundations of your brand. So, everything counts. I’ve always found that’s a great way to look at it.
Now that you’re well aware of the challenges and since we’re discussing a customer-centric strategy, I’ve also prepared some steps that you can actually implement in your business.
Let’s talk about that next!
Chapter 8: 5 (More) Strategies You Can Actually Apply
Yep, I’ve already shared some actionable strategies above.
But I have some more that you might find helpful.
Use this as some sort of checklist. If you’re already doing them – woohoo, you’re on the right track. If you’re not doing them yet – well, if not now, when?
The Golden Rule: ALWAYS. PROVIDE. VALUE.
Because that’s what customers are looking for. Value is what creates awareness, sparks interest and builds trust. It’s the best advice I can give you – make sure that every interaction, communication or initiative should contribute tangible value to your customers.
When you follow this philosophy, everything else follows.
5 customer-centric growth strategies for your brand
1. Stay agile and responsive to change.
Customers evolve. Constantly. And so should your brand.
So, it helps to always stay on top of trends and know how this affects your target market. See if your brand still resonates with them, see if your customers are still who you think they are.
From there, see how you can innovate your offerings and customer service to refine the experiences you create for them and match their current expectations.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to keep up with your customers’ ever-changing needs, it helps to get an external perspective on your business, branding and marketing.
An Innovation Consulting may be what you need to push your brand forward:
2. Implement personalised marketing strategies.
In a world where customers are overwhelmed by generic marketing strategies, a personalised marketing strategy is a strong weapon.
If you’re tired of seeing sold to and overwhelmed by content – that’s digital fatigue – and it’s highly likely that your customers are feeling the same way.
To successfully implement customer-centric strategies, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Will you buy from a brand if it sounds just like every other business that offers the same services? Will you buy from a brand if you have a feeling that they only see you as another number?
I know I wouldn’t!
Which makes a genuine and bespoke approach to marketing incredibly important. Your marketing needs to be as unique as your customers. Constantly assessing your marketing can help you check which aspects are working and which are not – and I can come in for a Marketing Audit Session if you need a hand.
3. Always speak with empathy,
While we’re on the subject of personalisation, let’s discuss the way brands connect with customers: through messages.
At the end of the day, customers are still humans with human emotions – which means they will look for authentic and genuine connections from brands. So, this needs to reflect across all aspects of your brand, especially in the way you communicate.
To be the brand that your customers GET and therefore CHOOSE, you need to communicate with them with empathy.
It also helps if you can adopt a tone that’s uniquely yours, allowing your brand to establish a full identity that your customers can connect with.
4. Establish open and consistent communication channels internally.
Yes, internal comms is a part of this as well.
I know we’re talking about customers, but here’s an important reminder:
Your team needs to be on the same page so you can provide a seamless experience to customers.
Every business needs strategic comms, as it allows you to refine your messaging and ensure consistency across all channels.
Whether you’re replying to enquiries, posting on social media, sending emails for updates and follow-ups, it’s important to have that consistent tone that get the right messages across to the right people (be it customers, employees or other stakeholders).
5. Get the team involved. Instil a customer-centric culture.
Since we’re already on the subject of aligning your team…
Customer-centricity works best when it’s ingrained in your company culture.
If customer-centricity is in your business’ DNA, understanding customers, creating seamless experiences and fostering loyalty (in short, covering all pillars) becomes second nature to everyone in the business. This alignment can help ensure that every touchpoint gets the same level of attention and dedication to customer-centricity.
You can conduct regular training sessions and have bespoke classes to empower your team and ensure all employees, at every level, comprehend the significance of customer-centric practices.
I think you’re ready for the next steps of customer-centric brand growth…
By applying these actionable strategies, you transform the theoretical framework of customer-centricity into tangible, measurable results.
From staying agile in response to market trends to fostering a shared culture of empathy within your team, these strategies are the bridge between understanding your customers and building enduring loyalty.
It all comes down to building a brand that will thrive and stand the test of time and the hard-earned loyalty of customers – and isn’t that what we all want?!
- What does a customer-centric brand growth look like?
- What are the pillars of a customer-centric brand growth?
- Pillar 1: Understanding Your Customers
- Pillar 2: Creating A Seamless Customer Experience
- Pillar 3: Building Customer Loyalty And Advocacy
- What now? Integrating The 3 Pillars Of Customer-Centric Brand Growth
- Challenges And, Of Course, Solutions
- For You Chapter: 5 Strategies You Can Actually Apply
- Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Chapter 9: Customer-Centric Brand Growth: Next Steps
Take action!
Find an experienced Marketing Advisor who is able to help you put your customer-centric strategy together, provide innovative ideas and support your growth.
Remember, this complete guide covered all of the theory. Now you need to put it into action, as that’s where the real outcomes are found.
As a Marketing Consultant and Advisor, I can help you with your company’s Marketing, Branding and Communications requirements to propel customer-centric brand growth.
Reach out if you want to discuss your Marketing needs today. I can’t wait to collaborate with you and your team.
Speak to a trusted Marketing Advisor
My name is Christopher Melotti and I offer energised business marketing consulting unlike anything you’ve experienced!
I give your brand, business and team a vibrant dose of results-driven vigour aimed squarely at your goals.
Remember: your current “status-quo” or “same-same” has diminishing returns. You don’t want to be there. Let me reinvigorate your trajectory with my unique Australian business marketing advisory services.
Christopher Melotti
Your trusted Australian Message Marketing Strategist, Creative Consultant & Brand Comms Specialist for Businesses & Professionals who aspire to do great things and want to be renowned for it.
christophermelotti.com.au
chris@melottimedia.com.au
0415 522 521
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