{"id":20172,"date":"2022-12-01T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T12:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/what-is-brand-affinity-and-how-can-you-build-it\/"},"modified":"2022-12-01T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T12:20:06","slug":"what-is-brand-affinity-and-how-can-you-build-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/what-is-brand-affinity-and-how-can-you-build-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What is brand affinity and how can you build it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The B2B buying journey is evolving. Buyers are losing trust in companies and seeking out trustworthy sources to make buying decisions.<\/p>\n

Adopting a customer-first mindset puts you in the perfect position to build trust with your audience, which in turn, builds affinity with your brand.<\/p>\n

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What is brand affinity?<\/h2>\n

Brand affinity is the connection between a customer and a company’s brand. When a company builds trust and meaningful relationships with its customers, the entire buying journey is positively impacted by the emotional association that the customer has with it.<\/p>\n

To break it down even further, let\u2019s dive into the meaning of the words \u2018brand\u2019 and \u2018affinity\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Brand:<\/span><\/p>\n

The term brand refers to a business and marketing concept that helps people identify a particular company, product, or individual. Brands are intangible, which means you can’t actually touch or see them. As such, they help shape people’s perceptions of companies, their products, or individuals.<\/p>\n

Investopedia<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Affinity:<\/p>\n

1. a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.<\/p>\n

2. a person, thing, idea, etc., for which such a natural liking or attraction is felt.<\/p>\n

3. inherent likeness or agreement; close resemblance or connection.<\/p>\n

Dictionary<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When you bring these words back together, we can see that brand affinity runs deeper than any other branding objective.<\/p>\n

Brand affinity vs. Brand awareness<\/h3>\n

For years marketers have used \u2018brand awareness\u2019 as a generic term to burn through budget without being scrutinised.<\/p>\n

It goes a little like this…<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Marketing runs a bunch of display ads on different channels.<\/li>\n
  2. The business sees no meaningful impact from the ads on the bottom line.<\/li>\n
  3. Marketing claim that the ads were still successful because the objective was brand awareness – pulling out vanity metrics like impressions to show how many people saw the brand\u2019s logo and products.<\/li>\n
  4. The business accepts the campaign result.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The issue with this is that simply seeing a logo or product has no true meaning.<\/p>\n

    For starters, in today\u2019s world we’re so accustomed to seeing ads that we\u2019re programmed to block them out, so simply seeing your logo isn\u2019t going to make anybody remember it.<\/p>\n

    Secondly, the change to the B2B buyer journey means that audiences are relying on trusted sources for validation before making purchase decisions. And unfortunately, your display ad isn\u2019t a trustworthy source of information.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So, the key is to create memorable, meaningful touchpoints with your audience that they remember. More meaningful touchpoints strengthen the connection and trustworthiness towards your business \u2013 that’s brand affinity.<\/p>\n

    Brand affinity vs. Brand loyalty<\/h3>\n

    There’s some crossover between brand affinity and brand loyalty, but you could argue that affinity is stronger than loyalty.<\/p>\n

    Brand loyalty is often formed out of familiarity and habit. Even if you\u2019re not 100% satisfied with your product\/service, you may continue to use a brand out of convenience and \u2018because that\u2019s what we\u2019ve always done\u2019. This doesn\u2019t mean you have a genuine connection with that brand.<\/p>\n

    Brand affinity encompasses brand loyalty by creating an emotional connection between your customer and your brand \u2013 meaning they are loyal because of their affinity.<\/p>\n

    The importance of brand affinity in B2B<\/h3>\n

    Unlike B2C, customers don’t impulse buy B2B brands. B2B purchases are usually a more thought-out process – they often require more time and input from the buyer, which means that building brand affinity is all the more important. When you have an affinity with a brand you’re more willing to put in the time and effort that’s required in a B2B purchase.<\/p>\n

    How to build brand affinity<\/h3>\n

    1. Know your audience<\/h4>\n

    The first step to building brand affinity is understanding your ideal buyer persona<\/a>. Brand affinity requires you to create touchpoints that resonate with your audience and knowing how they tick is key to creating them.<\/p>\n

    2. Have a unique point of view<\/h4>\n

    Brands that follow the crowd tend to lack brand affinity because people don\u2019t resonate and connect deeply with generic messaging. A unique, sometimes controversial, message is less likely to appeal to everybody, you\u2019re more likely to connect on a deeper level with the people that matter most to you – your ideal buyer.<\/p>\n

    3. Create helpful content for your audience<\/h4>\n

    One way to build trust and connections with your audience is by creating genuinely helpful content<\/a>. The key is to always approach content with the intent to help and provide value \u2013 not to sell. Think of your content as giving free consultative advice; answer common questions your audience has, share some of your expert opinions or experiences to help people overcome challenges. In turn, not only will this build the bond between you and your audience, but it will position your brand as an industry leader.<\/p>\n

    Our introduction to B2B content marketing will help you to develop a winning content marketing strategy.<\/a><\/p>\n

    4. Create customer communities<\/h4>\n

    Whilst brand affinity refers to the connection between customers and your brand, bringing your customers together can help strengthen that bond. Creating and engaging within customer communities has multiple benefits:<\/p>\n