Branding is all about a consistent experience

Sort of lost within Inside CRM’s “12 Effective strategies Apple uses to create loyal customers” at # 10 is “Consistency.”

 

Most of Apples’ brand-building strategies are dead obvious, like having a store just for Apple; the hipness factor they’ve created; seeding Apple within schools and universities, design attractiveness and, of course, innovation.

 

But their secret weapon just might be consistency.

 

As consumers, we instinctively “feel” product and service experiences and are smart enough to sense the real deal. We know – at a gut level - whether a company is telling the truth or scamming us. When a company does what it says it will do on a consistent basis, and delivers a satisfying product, then we become loyal to that brand over time. Screw this up and we start complaining and stop buying.

 

A great brand is built when a company dedicates itself to creating a product and service experience (more the former for Apple) that consistently meets people’s needs and expectations. Companies that try hard to listen, learn and continually improve, become the winners and gorillas of their industry. The others fall by the wayside, are marginalized or killed off.

 

This doesn’t mean companies can’t screw up. Apple has had plenty of problems over the years, from bad iPod drives to laptop battery issues to pricing screw-ups (iPhone). But through it all, they’ve listened to their customers and taken action – as quickly as possible most of the time – to right the wrong. They’re not perfect, but they’ve proven they are consistent in caring.

 

This caring consistency just might be the ultimate secret weapon in building Apple’s phenomenal brand loyalty. Maybe # 10 should be # 1.