Marketing“Our Easter sale has always been our peak period, but this year, we recorded low sales even after spending millions on ads. We made sales, but it wasn’t as usual, and it was mainly from new customers.”
That’s what a founder said when the data from their April sales showed a decline in returning and organic customers.
And this is the reality of many businesses. In fact, it’s probably why you’re here reading this: your customers jump ship the minute a competitor springs up, and you’re trying hard to fix that.
A random google search on “how to build customer loyalty” will have you skimming through pages of stuff you’re probably doing already: provide exceptional customer service, set up a loyalty program, reduce friction points, and much more.
It sounds easy on paper, but do these tips for building customer loyalty work? Top brands like Apple have an insane level of customer loyalty, but if you’re in Nigeria and would never buy a Samsung phone, you know it’s not a result of excellent customer service.
So, what should you really be doing to build customer loyalty and turn first time customers to loyal advocates?
That’s exactly what we’ll be unpacking in our upcoming webinar; we’ll have insightful conversations with founders and marketers to explore practical customer loyalty strategies, real brand examples, and the small decisions that keep customers coming back.
If you’d like to join the conversation, you can reserve your spot now.
5 Ways Top Brands Build Customer Loyalty
Here’s a list of 5 proven tips for customer loyalty, compiled from observing top brands and their loyalty strategies.
They Create Symbols People Want to Keep
Objects serve as little pockets of recall for the brands who gave them out. Brand recall builds retention and retention spirals into loyalty.
That’s why when Coca-Cola launched the Share a Coke campaign in 2014, people kept the bottles that had their names, and Coca-Cola recorded a massive jump in sales.
Nigerian brands are doing the same. For their 80th anniversary, Wema Bank reached out to us to create multifunctional, custom desk cradles that doubled as penholders to serve as souvenirs for the event. Huawei, a top global brand, also asked us to create custom lamps and wireless chargers as souvenirs for Huawei Day Nigeria 2025.
These top brands know that one of the easiest ways to build customer loyalty is to make your brand live on people’s desks, not just online.
Suggested: How to Make Your Brand Live on Desks, Not Just Online.
They Build a Brand Bigger Than Any Individual
Ask someone why they’re loyal to Apple, and they probably won’t talk about the founder’s story or an ad they saw. They’ll talk about innovation, quality, and identity.
People stay loyal when they buy into a brand’s identity. In business, identity is a lot stickier than price. A competitor can undercut your product tomorrow; they can’t undercut what a customer believes about themselves for choosing you.
That’s the secret of brands that have outlived their founders: values that customers can relate to and support over time.
We explored this tip in our article, Brands That Outlive Their Founders Have This One Thing in Common.
They Treat Every Touchpoint as Marketing
Here’s a mistake we see brands make constantly: they nail the ad campaign, then ignore the product packaging.
Customers don’t experience your brand as an ad, then separately as “the delivery” or “the follow-up email.” To them, it’s all one long chain, and you miss your shot at gaining customer loyalty the moment one part of it feels careless.
So, don’t focus on ads when you think of marketing. Your packaging, event merch, and branded gifts are all marketing touchpoints that bring you closer to building customer loyalty.
We keep this in mind when we create custom packaging for awards, corporate gifts, and branded keepsakes. Every product and packaging is designed intentionally.
Suggested: You’re Not Just Wasting Money on Merch, You’re Losing Campaign Momentum.
They Make Customers Feel Seen
Most people won’t remember every discount they’ve received from a brand; they’ll remember the moments that made them feel valued.
Recognition creates emotional loyalty, and emotional loyalty is far more difficult for competitors to replace. That’s why recognition remains an effective way to strengthen long-term business relationships, especially with high-value clients.
Related: Best Corporate Gift Ideas for HNIs
They Create Moments Worth Talking About
The most effective marketing often comes from customers. According to Invesp, 88% of consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations over ads. Why? People trust people, not ads.
Think about the campaigns, installations, or experiences you’ve shared with friends or posted online. You probably weren’t asked to; you simply wanted other people to see them too.
The Redpath Festival organizers leveraged this when they turned the yellow duck, a familiar bath toy, into a giant tourist attraction. People talked about it, 750,000 people attended the festival, and in one year, they made $7 million.
Your customers can rack in numbers for you too. Giving them photographable products, stunning packaging, and Instagram-worthy unboxing moments is a great start.
Related: Want Your Brand to Go Viral? Study This Giant Yellow Duck First
Final Thoughts
The brands that earn lasting customer loyalty rarely rely on discounts alone. They intentionally create moments worth sharing and turn every interaction into a brand impression.
If improving customer retention and building brand advocates is on your agenda, join our upcoming free webinar on July 30th, 2026, for practical tips for improving customer retention and turning satisfied customers into loyal brand advocates. It’ll be worth your time!
Want to turn your customers into loyal influencers? Secure Your Spot Now
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