The largest and most successful brands exist not only because they make great products but also because they maintain and grow their loyal following. Brand loyalty is achieved when a consumer identifies with a brand or product and selects that brand or product over others repeatedly. For example, some individuals prefer Coke over Pepsi, Nike over Adidas, or Apple over Microsoft.
Why do these preferences exist when hundreds of brands make soda, shoes, or laptops? Loyalty. Loyal customers will consistently purchase the same product or products regardless of price, features, convenience, or aesthetic choices because they identify with the brand on a deeper level and know exactly what to expect. Brand trust isn’t built overnight, but there is no better return on investment once it is achieved.
A customer satisfaction survey can be a great way to measure brand loyalty. Surveys can assess loyalty in several critical areas like overall satisfaction, brand trust, and brand esteem. By measuring these aspects, brands can quickly identify areas of improvement that will make them rise above the competition.
Learn how to do brand loyalty testing here.
Measure Overall Customer Satisfaction
The first and most important aspect of brand loyalty testing is to measure overall customer satisfaction with your brand. Brands that struggle to build loyalty should start their testing here to understand better how their products and services meet expectations (or not).
Customer satisfaction surveys should ask overarching open-ended questions like: How is our product better or worse than our competitors? What aspect of our customer service do you like the best?
To inspire repeat purchases, customers must be satisfied. Discovering what they are (or are not) satisfied with is essential to gaining market share.
Measure Brand Trust
All companies should build and maintain trust with their customers if they want to increase brand loyalty, especially businesses like banks or e-commerce retailers who handle sensitive consumer data. For example, suppose consumers do not trust that your brand will not sell their personal information to third parties. In that case, they are likely to jump ship to another brand that prioritizes data security.
To assess brand trust with surveys, it is helpful to ask questions like: How do we earn your trust throughout a transaction? How do we keep your trust over time?
You can utilize these responses to direct your marketing campaigns, web copy, and more.
Measure Brand Esteem
Lastly, brands that strive to build and maintain brand loyalty need to measure brand esteem. Brand esteem is your brand’s reputation, or what comes to mind when someone says your brand name. For some brands, this is a favorable sentiment, but for others, it is damaging. For example, when someone says “Costco,” you likely think “great prices and customer service,” but when someone says “Walmart,” you may think “poor company culture.”
Obtaining customers’ respect and attraction to your brand is vital for creating brand loyalty. Ask your consumers questions like What words come to mind when you think of our brand? Why do you shop with us?
Measuring brand loyalty is vital for brands large and small. Businesses that stand the test of time do so not only because they make great products but also because they maintain and grow their loyal following. A Csat survey is a great place to start, with other more advanced methods available down the road.
