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Being a Good Egg Will Attract People Who Share Your Values

When a brand jumps out by doing something right and memorable, people put it top of mind as a solution to their wants and needs. They develop an affinity.


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James L Katzaman

2 years ago | 5 min read

Authentic brands show how they care about vital needs

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash

When a brand jumps out by doing something right and memorable, people put it top of mind as a solution to their wants and needs. They develop an affinity.

“Brand affinity is a strong preference and connection between consumers and a brand,” said Christina Garnett. “It can be due to customer service, shared values, superior product or something else.

“When consumers need something, that brand is their go-to,” she said.

Garnett has pursued brand affinity in some shape or form throughout her career. A community builder and advocacy strategist, she helps brands better connect with their current customers, potential customers and fans.

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She has been featured in HubSpot Academy’s Social Media certification course and has spoken at national events such as INBOUND19 and Social Fresh 2021.

Turning to business outreach online, Garnett and digital marketing expert Madalyn Sklar discussed ways to build brand affinity on social media.

“Brand affinity is all about establishing an emotional connection and building a relationship with your customers,” Sklar said.

A key element of forming those tight bonds is to show authenticity.

“Don’t be a robot and talk about just one thing,” Garnett said. “You have layers, and your social media — especially Twitter — should too.

“Show your humanity,” she said. “Share what your passions are outside of work. Then talk to others, not because of their follower count but because you want to chat.”

Set Ego Aside

Those in the right mindset will realize that the difference between audience and community is ego.

“If you want a community, you have to step down and not be the main voice,” Garnett said. “You have to be a bridge, not the star. That is hard, especially for thought leaders and brands who want to stay in the light.”

Playing into her expertise, Sklar listed ways to show authenticity on Twitter:

  • Always be Honest
  • Allow Yourself to Have Fun
  • Keep it Real With People
  • Make Sure You’re Engaging
  • Own Up to Your Mistakes

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Brands can reap great rewards when they invest in building affinity.

“Brand affinity or love can’t be bought,” Garnett said. “It can help you weather hard times.

“Your brand fans will be your positive word of mouth, will amplify your messaging and will help you foster trust with others,” she said. “Your biggest fans grease the flywheel.”

That leads to an intangible commodity.

“By investing in brand affinity, you’re able to build trust,” Sklar said. “That is an essential element of growing your community and generating sales.”

Brands can take specific steps to develop customer loyalty and brand affinity.

“Focus on customer experience and how you treat customers when they’re happy or mad,” Garnett said. “Many brands only focus on angry customers and ignore happy ones.

“Put out the fires, but also water the flowers,” she said. “Show that you see and appreciate people. It takes seconds to make someone’s day.”

Haste Makes Waste

Perhaps the most important investment is time.

“If you want to develop customer loyalty and brand affinity, it’s important to focus on building relationships with them,” Sklar said. “Take the time to communicate with your customers so you can get to know them on a deeper level.

“Another element of developing loyalty is providing high-quality valuable content that positions you as an expert in your field,” she said. “People will see you as a reliable resource they can depend on.”

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Building relationships starts by listening to know what people need rather than just to respond.

“Do social listening to understand consumers,” Garnett said. “What are their pain points and needs? Join conversations from a place of help, not sales.

“When someone is angry, lead with empathy,” she said. “When someone is happy, lead with gratitude. People can tell when you care.”

Genuine, live interactions will bring personal touches to relationships.

“If you want to build relationships with your customers on Twitter, participate in Twitter chats or Twitter Spaces,” Sklar said. “Both are great ways to have conversations so you can get to know people. Just as important, they get to know you.”

Access comes when a brand can turn an uninterested audience into an engaged community.

“Focus on value and connection,” Garnett said. “Build a voice that can speak one to one and one to many. Share content that encourages your audience to add their voice.

“Be a bridge to help connect with other people,” she said. “Give them the invite to engage.”

Engage to Ease Pain

Find the ingredient that piques people’s curiosity.

“Give people a reason to be interested,” Sklar said. “Share content that you know they’re looking for and that addresses their pain points. They’ll take notice and be more likely to engage. Host Twitter Spaces, and give them the mic.”

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Reputation damage can be especially painful when trying to regain brand affinity.

“You have to actively listen and address why the damage occurred in the first place,” Garnett said. “Rebrands aren’t enough.

“Be transparent,” she said. “Admit what happened. Share how you are actively working to rebuild that trust.”

Hesitation can be almost as costly as the original misstep.

“Don’t wait too long to address any mistakes you’ve made,” Sklar said. “Own up to them. Apologize. Share how you plan to do better in the future.”

Keep Values Valuable

Brands should be especially cautious about toying with their values to appeal to all types of audiences.

“It depends on why you are changing,” Garnett said. “Are you changing to chase competition, save revenue or because vour values are antiquated and rooted in discrimination?

“Good core values shouldn’t need to be changed but reframed,” she said.

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The risk is devaluing core beliefs to achieve short-term gains.

“Your brand’s values should appeal to you first and foremost,” Sklar said. “Those who are aligned with those values will be attracted to you.”

With that in mind, she named brands that have successfully built brand affinity.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a great example,” Sklar said. “He’s built a loyal community of people who love what he does. They support him in every way.”

To him she added other highly successful examples:

Garnett noted her favorite brands that excel in affinity: Chewy and Apple.

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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James L Katzaman

Jim Katzaman is a charter member of the Tealfeed Creators' program, focusing on marketing and its benefits for companies and consumers. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as well as subscribing here on Tealfeed.


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