It’s who we are. It’s what we stand for. It’s the tribe/community we are a part of!
Apple or Samsung. Ford or Chevrolet. Nike or Reebok. Coke or Pepsi.
All of these companies have one thing in common that makes them stand above the rest. They’ve all perfected through their marketing communication efforts the practice of brand attachment.
Brand attachment is the one factor that compels your customers through an emotional connection to choose your company over your competitors. It’s the bond between you and your customers that, when done right, can turn a one time purchase into a lifetime relationship.
The best part about brand attachment is that any business can implement it by understanding a few things about branding and the three elements that go into building an effective attachment.
What’s Your Story?
Branding simply comes down to what your customers are saying about your business. It’s not about you, it’s about them.
A key to understand about branding is that it all depends on the experience your customers have with your company and what they tell the world about it. Your marketing efforts should revolve around this fact, so your brand story nudges your customers to tell it the way you want.
Coming up with ways to build your brand for your customers to spread the word can involve anything from a funny commercial to a well-timed promotion. But, those efforts will only get you so far until you start speaking to their hearts.
Brand attachment is what you should be focusing on in your marketing efforts as it goes deep into your customer emotions. Building it relies on your messages to cover three factors: affection, connection, passion.
Affection
Psychology says we like the people that are like us and we’re more likely to build long-lasting relationships with those people based on this factor alone. We see the similarities in their values and beliefs and over time we develop a fondness for the other person based on the security of that knowledge.
Building your company’s brand emotionally starts with the same principles. Nike, for instance, doesn’t market to couch potatoes, rather they get their message to the fitness enthusiast. If you can match what your company stands with your prospective customer’s values and beliefs then you’re well on your way to building attachment.
Like a cup of hot chocolate when you come in from the cold, your business welcomes customers in and gives off the feeling that says ‘I get you!’ and ‘we’re in it together!’ You’re telling them that your business understands and cares about their needs.
Connection
One of the biggest needs we as human want to feel is the one of connection. This is at the core of why Facebook became so popular with their ‘like’ and ‘friending’ features. They built a basic foundation around community that the world wanted to be part of.
Facebook didn’t brag about having the latest software or algorithms. Instead, they talked about their community and how it was a place to keep in touch with your friends. They essentially connect people through connection.
This portion of brand attachment focuses your marketing message based on the fact that your company is more than just a product or service. There is a sense of belonging your prospects will have when they become a customer.
Passion
There is no other company in the world that gets the passion part of brand attachment than Apple. It starts from the top as we all know the passion that Steve Jobs had for his business. The passion that Jobs exuded excited his prospects enough to align with Apple.
The next part of passion Apple instills is in all of their marketing campaigns. The ‘Think Different’ tagline that inspires us to look at problems in a different way. They tell stories in all their ads that back of regular people using their product while backing up the tagline. Apple’s total display of passion excites and motivate their prospects to buy their products.
Brand attachment digs deep into the psyche of your prospective customers and excites their minds so positively that they’ll never turn to another brand.
It’s the ultimate competitive advantage if you build your brand by driving your customers towards your company by using the positive emotions so much so they’ll become attached.
If you can speak to their hearts then their minds and body will follow along.
