Imagine you pick up your mobile phone in the morning, and the first message you see is from your shareholder asking the question: How do we build a cult following for our brand?
The question must have kept your investor awake all night, so you must quickly provide an answer.
What will be your answer?
Many business owners are tempted to think of technique as opposed to strategy when they think of building a brand. As such, they fall into the danger of believing that the solution is more communication – most likely digital. However, it takes much more than advertising or social media marketing to build brands that consumers become fanatical about.
Knowing these two truths will help you answer the question.
Optimal Performance
Think about any TV show that has or had a cult following – Game of Thrones, Big Bang Theory, Stranger Things – you name it; one thing they have in common is entertainment value.
There is no customer loyalty without value, and there is no value creation without performance. That value, whether intangible like guaranteed laughter whenever you tune in to an episode of Big Bang Theory or tangible like the speed of your Internet service, is non-negotiable if you are to build a successful brand.
Emotional connections
After scoring high points on customer satisfaction, the question of building a cult following can arise. A proven way to achieve that is by building emotional connections using:
- The right message – Like the cast at the final table reading of Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory, at some point during these shows, we were moved to tears. This is because, like the cast members, we have bonded with the characters over our television sets. And it all starts with the right message. From the theme music which we memorise to seeing ourselves in some of the characters and picking up lines from the dialogue which we store in our motivational quotes bank. It’s all about the message! These dialogues turned motivational quotes are why we purchase merchandise of our favourite shows – to serve as a reminder and keep connected.
- Events – Think about events such as the Comic-Con, a fan convention of comic book lovers. Such events bring together a community of people with shared passions to share ideas and connect over what they love. In like manner, brands must create platforms for the consumers to connect with the brand and each other, giving meaning to the brand beyond the functional performance of the product or service.
Customer loyalty or ‘a cult following’ starts with the product delivering on its brand promise. After doing so consistently, backed with the right communication, it begins to mean more than the functional benefit to the consumer.
That’s why Mac Cosmetics would name a lip stain, Feel So Grand!
