Does Your Brand “Walk the walk”?

Brand Ambassadors. Just what the heck is one anyway?

A brand ambassador is a company's first and last line of defense when it comes to keeping customer loyalty. Sounds like a bold, broad brushstroke statement, doesn't it? Well, consider the following: In her book Friendship Branding, Lois Geller writes about the results of a survey she conducted on branding, and the results are insightful.

Customers surveyed said the most important factors in staying loyal to a particular brand are (1) consistent quality; (2) customer service; and (3) price. Other research shows that approximately 70% of the purchase decision is made for emotional, not economic, reasons.

Clearly, quality and service are key to a brand's relationship with its customers.

Quality and service can be controlled by your staff--your brand ambassadors. People form relationships with people; people who are the human, interactive face of a brand.

People buy brands for the brand experience, and the employees of a company--and the customers' interactions with them--are indeed part of that experience, and a large part of what builds customer loyalty.

Read the Full Article

Kristine Kirby Webster is Principal of The Canterbury Group, a direct-marketing consultancy specializing in branding and relationship marketing. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Direct Marketing at Mercy College in NY. She can be reached at Kristine@canterburygroup.net.