In the world of 21st century commerce, every business has a brand whether they realise it or not. While branding was once a concern only for big business, today it affects businesses of all shapes and sizes across all niches and industries.

In an era where customers are well informed and have a multitude of choice thanks to the digital revolution, they know just how fickle they can afford to be, and it’s up to businesses to take steps to earn their loyalty rather than  assuming it.

One of key ways in which you can ensure a harmonious relationship with your clientele is by creating a brand that they value. If your brand seems not to resonate with your target market the way you expect it to it may be worth considering a re-brand.

But a rebrand is far more than just changing the font and background colour on your logo. In order to give your brand a successful overhaul it needs to address why consumers don’t care enough about your brand in the first place.

Here are some reasons why your brand may not resonate with your customers as much as you may hope...

You don’t bring them content of value to them

We all know that content marketing is a potentially powerful way to form a strong relationship with your customers. It can establish your knowledge, experience and authority in your chosen industry thereby building trust in your brand.

It can give your SEO an organic leg up when you’re constantly expanding your website with new content. It can give customers the all-important something for nothing which can earn their loyalty…

However, all that only works if your content brings value to the customer. Otherwise it’s just you shouting into a void about how fantastic you are.

Your content needs to be able to provide useful information to your core clientele, help them solve a problem or guide them through a scenario they’re likely to encounter.

You don’t pay attention to them on social media

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with prospective customers as well as existing customers old and new and build upon your relationship with them. That said, no relationship should be a one-way street. If your communication with customers isn’t reciprocal you can’t expect them to get too invested in your brand.

Respond to them quickly, professionally, warmly and decisively when they attempt to contact you. Address complaints and criticisms promptly and openly. Like their comments, retweet them, mention them in your post. Show them that you see them and that you care!

Your branded freebies don’t reflect the brand experience

Who doesn’t love freebies? They’re a great gift to be able to give out to new customers, they can help you make a big impression at trade shows and events and they keep your brand in customer’s memories. But just because you’re giving something out for free doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about quality.

Whether you’re giving customers free custom keychains, USB sticks, mugs, t-shirts or anything else the quality of the product needs to reflect the kind of experience you want your brand to be associated with. Otherwise those freebies could trigger all of the wrong associations.

Your employees don’t seem happy

You’d better believe that your customers care about how you treat your employees. Why? Because they’re most likely also somebody’s employee!

Make sure that your employees are well looked after, properly rewarded and incentivised and enjoy good working conditions and they’ll say all the right things to your customers about your brand… Without saying a word.

When their every customer interaction denotes their passion, commitment and the faith they have in your business, this creates all the right associations with your brand and demonstrates that you have an ethical focus rather than a constant eye on the bottom line.

You’re not listening to what they want… You’re telling them

Sure, parsing historical data and using it to make informed projections is one thing. But it should always be supplemented by qualitative market research.

Customer surveys, focus groups, customer journals and in-person behaviour observations all help you to get a better idea of what your customers want, giving you a framework around which you can build your brand, your products and your marketing efforts.

The better you know your target market the better you know what they want and how to give it to them. If you can do this, they’re far less likely to take a chance on your competitors and you’ll be well on the way to gaining something increasingly rare and beautiful… Enduring customer loyalty!