Exploration of Creating User Loyalty
Few days ago, I was thinking about the structure of a successful business goal, and it takes me to consider the basic, which is — User. We need to get as more users as we can, with larger user base means we have more chance to reach success on business. One-time-only users are not we are looking for, what we need is a group of healthy, sustained, active users, which leads me to think about the issue of”User Loyalty”, therefore today we will be looking into the subject of “How to create user loyalty? “
The sense of attitude towards life
Highlight some successful examples, such as Airbnb, UBER, SnapChat, Instagram and Twitter, you will discover each of them equips with distinctive expression. Users are willing to choose these products instead of others from such massive options, not only because them can serve the needs from users well, but also because them can cause users’ resonances, which allow them to find the same match on the sense of attitude towards life.
To consider from the user, especially the young generation, the need for self-identity and social-identity are strong, they are more willing to become a user and supporter for products that fit their self-temperament.
To consider from the business, creating differentiation and increasing user retention are two of the most important strategy, and transforming product from a tool into a way of expression for user to display their attitude towards life will help to reach success on the business on a bigger scale.
It’s about branding, but not just about branding
To be clear, defining target audience and creating brand identity are essentially two things. Defining target audience is something we need to do in the first place, which will be the center of functions. But creating brand identity is more about the exploration, after more and more understanding on the user base, we will discover the perfect entry point to work with, this will be a gradual process.
Not only focusing on branding, but also many other directions to develop. Ideally, we can start from satisfying user needs, creating differentiation, expanding user base, and creating brand identify, which ultimately becoming a part of users’ life. In order to do so, we can consider from four perspectives as below.
Function | Satisfying User Needs
First, the product has to satisfy user needs. We can define core functions and minor functions through through user research. Second, we can connect few functions to transform it from one-time-only, low frequency user behavior to multiple-times, sustainable user behavior. Third, we can optimize it base on delicate use scenarios (such as using before sleep, the room might be really dim, or using during the commuting, the time is short and fragmented) to create an enjoyable user experience.
- Enhancing coverage on core functions
- Collecting functions to create a sustainable user behavior
- Expanding use scenarios from users’ point of view
- Optimizing from use scenarios to create an enjoyable experience
Content | Creating Differentiation
Why user have to use our product instead of others that providing same functions? Because we can provide one-&-only experience which user can’t find from the competitors. Try not only to consider from the functions, but to consider from the contents, to provide accurate contents that fit user’s preference, or to provide unique contents that help users to expend their vision. With the help of rich content, we can create a sustainable interacting relationship in between user and the product.
- Enriching content that fits every individual user’s preference
- Providing content that helps users to expend their version
- Establishing great example of resource provider to increase the overall quality
Traffic | Expanding User Base
Not only can we rely on ourself to find user, but also can do an exploration on where our users gathered. cooperating with other platforms that already hold a massive user base is a great way to do, not only because it’s a efficient way to get traffic source, but also because these user are having great potential on transforming into active users.
- Cooperating with 3rd-party platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat to get traffic source
- Cooperating with popular movies, celebrities and KOLs, to explore fan economy
- Increasing user activation by providing rewards when user reach different levels of achievement
Branding | Creating Brand Identify
Now all the users are here, what we need is a better story to express our brand identity. The goal is to generate a sense of belonging for users, lead them to become our supporters, and to use our product as their daily basis. In order to do so, we need to be more focus on building relationship with user by developing emotional expression. Take Airbnb for example, the main strategy on the brand identity is to showing that they are a warm, friendly and fun platform, which set them apart from the rests who are more focus on the price.
Aside from the traditional advertisement, there’re also the chose of color, font, interaction in the user interface, and the development of brand IP, sticker, video and social platform. We can open up our imagination to think about where can we use as a channel to express our brand identity, and to deliver our brand attitude to enrich users’ life.
- Focusing on building relationship with user by developing emotional expression
- Enhancing the general brand design language in the user interface
- Creating brand identity form multiple mediums, and delivering brand attitude to users’ life
Creating user loyalty is a cheeky and complicated journey, it requires the attention on so many different perspectives, but actually it all can trace back to a core factor — enjoyable experience. When user can feel related to the product, and love to use product as daily basis, we are on the right track of creating user loyalty.
