What makes someone choose your brand over another?
57% of users are more likely to increase their spending on brands they feel connected to over their competitors. But how can you establish that connection to begin with?
With the onslaught of information and daily ads consumers face, building brand preference requires a strategic approach, careful execution and constant attention.
In this post, we’ll outline the key strategies for increasing brand preference, share effective examples and provide actionable tips for creating loyal customers online.
10 Strategies To Increase Brand Preference
Most people have a go-to brand for certain products or services.
Whether that’s Apple or Android, Coke instead of Pepsi or Target rather than Walmart, these preferences are often deeply ingrained and hard to change.
So how do you get consumers to choose your brand over their established favorites?
Below, we’ve compiled a list of proven strategies for increasing brand preference and driving long-term loyalty:
1. Create Customer Profiles And Segments
To increase brand preference, it’s essential to understand who you’re targeting and what drives their decisions.
Interestingly enough, 58% of marketers lack basic demographic information about their target audience, which can render their marketing efforts ineffective.
You can bridge this informational gap by creating customer personas to identify shared values or pain points.
Then, personalize your marketing strategies and messaging to align with specific audience expectations and adjust your product offerings according to customer feedback.
You can gain actionable insights into your target audience in the following ways:
- Demographics: Age, gender, education or income level that form the backbone of smarter targeting. For instance, Gen Z and Millennial consumers may respond differently to marketing campaigns compared to Baby Boomers.
- Psychographics: Analyze your audience’s hobbies, daily routines and personal values to determine what drives their purchasing decisions. Are they environmentally conscious? Do they prioritize convenience over price?
- Behavioral data: 91% of users are more likely to shop from brands that offer tailored offers and recommendations. You can assess your audience’s shopping habits by using tools like Google Analytics to track metrics such as conversion rates, bounce rates and average session duration.
You should regularly monitor and adjust your targeting strategies to stay relevant and effectively communicate with your audience.
Nike, for instance, frequently collaborates with popular athletes to promote its products because it understands its target audience’s sports interests and values.
This strategy aligns with their mission to inspire individuals to achieve their fitness goals.
2. Analyze Market Trends And Positioning
To define your market positioning and establish your Unique Value Proposition (UVP), conduct competitive analysis and identify key differentiators between your brand and competitors.
Monitor industry publications, competitor movements and market reports to identify industry gaps, opportunities and trends.
Once you’ve defined your market positioning, map out how your tailored messaging and targeted advertising strategies set you apart in the industry — this could involve unique product offerings, competitive pricing or emotional appeals to your audience’s values.
88% of users cite authenticity as a deciding factor in their purchasing decisions. Defining your market positioning in a genuine and personalized way can be the key to attracting loyal customers.
Take streaming platforms as an example.
While Netflix dominated the on-demand platforms early on, services like Disney+ entered the space with an immediate differentiator — exclusive access to Disney franchises.
This strategy positioned Disney+ as the go-to platform for beloved, nostalgic and family-friendly content, setting it apart from more adult-oriented competitors.
3. Develop A Compelling Brand Story And Identity
68% of consumers say brand storytelling influences whether or not they purchase a product or service.
You can use emotional branding to increase sales, build long-term customer loyalty and drive word-of-mouth marketing.
Create a brand story that reflects your values, mission and purpose as a company.
If your competitors primarily focus on their products, you have the opportunity to share your roots and motivations.
This doesn’t have to be a long, complicated narrative — it can be as simple as an impactful slogan or mission statement that resonates with your target audience.
Once you establish your brand story, next comes ensuring a consistent identity across all touchpoints by:
- Defining brand colors and fonts
- Developing a brand voice and tone
- Creating a logo and visual identity
- Designing branded marketing materials
If your competitors stick with generic product photography and boilerplate copy, you can use signature visuals and stories to connect, engage and convert customers.
This approach could be the reason someone bookmarks your page instead of moving on to another option.
For instance, Warby Parker’s narrative offers a solution to overpriced eyewear and helps someone in need with every purchase.
With its “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program, the brand has donated over 15 million pairs of glasses to those in need.
4. Maintain Brand Transparency
94% of shoppers would stay loyal to transparent brands.
Many brands either hide key info in long disclaimers or gloss over it altogether, which can damages their reputation and credibility.
Since 86% of U.S. shoppers say a brand’s reputation directly impacts their purchasing decisions, you can’t afford to be vague or misleading.
People pay attention to how upfront you are about your products, services and business operations.
When you choose a different approach — one that welcomes questions and shares behind-the-scenes details — you appear more genuine, sincere and trustworthy.
Once you actively address what goes into your products and why, you prove you’re not just focused on sales but also care about the full journey.
Some of the ways you can maintain brand transparency include sharing honest reviews and feedback from customers, being open about your business practices and values and providing clear information about your products or services.
For example, Everlane uses its “Radical Transparency” campaign to outline its sourcing, production and pricing processes for each product.
5. Support Leads Through The Buyer Journey
Customers want to feel valued at every stage, from awareness to post-purchase stages, which is why you should offer value beyond the sale and see your customers as more than just numbers or clicks.
In fact, 54% of users believe that brands should focus more on supporting their customers rather than simply selling their products or services.
You can do this by:
- Analyzing friction points: Map out your customer journey to determine where your leads are dropping off and what causes them to leave. This could be a complicated checkout process, a lack of onboarding help or minimal follow-up after purchase.
- Consistently deliver on brand promise: You can build trust and loyalty by following through on what you say you’ll do. If your ads promise hassle-free returns, don’t hand out complicated paperwork. If you have an eco-friendly identity, keep sharing updates on your green initiatives.
- Use resources to educate and engage: Sharing useful resources and educational content offers valuable support to your leads and positions your brand as a thought leader in your industry. This could include blog posts, webinars, e-books or even personalized product tutorials.
Canva pulls this off brilliantly by offering free tutorials, templates and inspiration boards for their customers to use and learn from, even after they’ve subscribed to its premium services.
6. Solicit And Act On Customer Feedback
77% of consumers have a more favorable view of brands that ask for and accept customer feedback.
When users feel seen and heard, they’re more likely to return as repeat customers and refer others to your brand.
Some of the ways you can collect and analyze customer feedback include:
- Surveys: Use short and simple surveys after a purchase or interaction to gather feedback on your products, services and user experience. You can use open-ended questions for more detailed insights.
- Social listening: Monitor social media platforms for mentions of your brand and engage with customers who are sharing their experiences.
- User testing: Create a group of beta testers to try out new features or products and provide feedback before launching them to the public.
- Reviews and ratings: Encourage customers to leave reviews and ratings on your website or third-party review sites. Use this feedback to identify weak points and make improvements.
However, gathering feedback is just the beginning. It’s essential to respond promptly to customer queries, complaints and suggestions.
A quick, genuine response shows that you value your customers’ opinions and are willing to take action to improve their experience.
For example, JetBlue runs a responsive, customer-oriented and solution-driven X account to address customer concerns and provide personalized assistance.
7. Implement Loyalty And Rewards Programs
Less than 8% of customers say loyalty and rewards programs aren’t important to their purchase decisions.
This means that roughly 92% of customers value incentives and rewards for their continued support and loyalty.
However, loyalty programs should not be limited to simple discount codes or points systems.
It’s important to personalize your loyalty program by offering shoutouts for birthdays, purchase anniversaries or other personal milestones. This personal touch can make customers feel valued and appreciated.
Additionally, you can offer exclusive content or early access to new products for loyal customers to make them feel like they’re a part of an exclusive community.
Delta Airlines’ SkyMiles loyalty program is one of the most effective brand preference examples since it offers a range of benefits, including free flights, upgrades and access to exclusive events.
8. Perform UX Website Optimizations
88% of online users wouldn’t revisit a website after a poor experience.
How could you build brand preference if customers don’t even want to return to your site?
Optimizing the user experience (UX) of your website can help visitors understand your brand better, navigate through your products or services more efficiently and ultimately return for future purchases.
You can implement the following UX enhancements to drive brand preference:
1. Declutter Your Layout
38% of consumers zero in on a website’s layout when they first visit it. You should prioritize straightforward navigation, use visual cues to highlight important information and minimize unnecessary elements that can distract visitors from your brand messaging.
2. Speed Up Page Load Times
Page speed directly impacts user engagement and conversions 70% of the time. Optimize for cross-device and multi-platform compatibility to maximize performance and minimize downtime.
3. Simplify Contact Options
Add clear and easily accessible contact information to reassure visitors that your brand is reliable and trustworthy. Include a live chat feature for quick responses to inquiries and keep your form fill options short and simple.
4. Offer Immersive And Interactive Experiences
Online shopping‘s bind side is that customers can’t touch or feel the products before purchase. Including interactive elements like 360-degree product images or virtual try-on options can help bridge this gap and provide a more engaging experience for visitors.
Sephora’s Virtual Assist uses Augmented Reality (AR) to allow users to try out makeup shades and test how different products look on their skin.
If people can see how they look with a certain lip color or eyeshadow, the chance of buyer’s remorse goes down and the likelihood of purchase goes up.
5. Test And Iterate
Perform regular A/B testing to determine which UX features convert the most leads. Use heatmaps and analytics tools to learn how users interact with your website and make data-driven decisions on future UX enhancements.
9. Provide Social Proof And Testimonials
88% of people trust online reviews from strangers as much as they trust recommendations from friends or family.
Authentic feedback shows your brand delivers on its promises, creates community-centric engagement and establishes trust with potential customers.
For instance, Rare Beauty has a dynamic testimonials section with on-click text-based reviews to showcase how its products have positively impacted its customers.
10. Leverage Social Media Engagement
77% of shoppers are more likely to purchase from brands they follow on social media.
That suggests people aren’t just browsing — they’re looking for genuine exchanges and a hint that an actual person is behind the profile.
For example, Gymshark regularly updates its social media with humorous and relatable content, responds to user comments and shares user-generated content to nurture its fitness-loving community.
How To Measure Brand Preference: Key KPIs And Metrics
While we’ve outlined the basic strategies on how to increase brand preference, you’d need practical measurements that reflect the success of your efforts.
Some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) to track include:
| KPI/Metric | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | The likelihood of customers recommending your brand to others | Indicates brand advocacy |
| Social Media Engagement | Likes, comments, shares, mentions and direct messages on social platforms | Shows audience sentiement |
| Customer Retention Rate | Percentage of users who return for repeat purchases over a given period | Reveals brand loyalty and repeat business |
| Repeat Purchase Rate | How often customers come back to buy your products or services | Highlights customer satisfaction |
| Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) | Total revenue a single customer brings to your brand | Reflects long-term profitability |
Increase Your Brand Preference With Digital Silk
Securing a loyal audience in a crowded online marketplace isn’t a walk in the park and customer trust can shift in the blink of an eye.
Digital Silk can help you establish industry authority through research-backed and data-driven strategies.
Our approach combines thoughtful branding, creative design and targeted marketing to build customer preference and foster long-term relationships.
As an end-to-end web design company, our services include:
Our team takes full ownership of each project we undertake, offers complete transparency at every stage of its lifecycle and delivers tangible results.
Want to increase your brand preference and build a loyal following?
Contact our team, call us at (800) 206-9413 or fill in the Request a Quote form below to schedule a consultation.
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