Marketers love to talk about acquisition. It’s flashy, it’s measurable, it looks good on a dashboard. But the truth? Long-term growth comes from loyalty. And loyalty doesn’t happen by accident. It’s earned, step by step. Too often, brands either rush the process or skip it entirely, then wonder why customers ghost them after one purchase.

Here’s how to avoid the one-and-done trap and build loyalty that actually lasts:

1. Stop making your lead form a hostage negotiation

If you want someone’s information, give them a reason.  We have conversations with clients about this all the time. “We don’t want them to go to Amazon, we want them to buy from us, so we should ask for their email address and phone number, and blood type, and…” Yeah, sure thing. You want someone’s information? Give them value. If it’s an e-commerce business, a purchase incentive is always an obvious one for a first-timer. Or a free gift with purchase. If it’s an item or service with a longer lead time, help them pre-solve their problems. 

Give them rich content, video tutorials, downloadable step-by-step guides, etc. Give them so much valuable information that they’re practically salivating to fill out your lead form. Give real value.

Salesforce has a great, well-known product and a great reason to fill out their lead form

2. Use data responsibly

Personalization doesn’t mean blasting every buyer with the same recycled offer. If someone’s already shown you what they’re interested in, reflect that in your messaging. Respect the signals your customers give you, and use them to create experiences that feel tailored, not tone-deaf.

Let’s say you buy a men’s t-shirt from an e-commerce brand that sells both men’s and women’s apparel. You don’t want email promotions for women’s clothing—you’ve already shown you’re shopping in the men’s category. Easy enough. Now imagine you fill out a lead form to learn about a complicated piece of software to automate processes for your business. That shouldn’t trigger an immediate sales pitch. Instead, it should be an opportunity for you to receive rich content that answers common objections, shares case studies, or shows how to use the tool if you sign up for a free trial. You want to feel like the brand understands you, and you want experiences that prove it. The more granular the personalization around your specific behaviors and interests, the better.

3. Make it impossibly easy to reach you

No one wants to sit on hold, send an email into a void, or fight through a clunky return process. They want instant access through chat features or bots, DMs or call services that save your spot in line, then call you. They want easy returns and they don’t want to have to wait for their purchase to be credited either.” Make everything easy. It’s easy to hate on Amazon, but everything we just mentioned, they’ve mastered. You can jump on live chat with a real person in one or two minutes. You can get digital shipping labels for returns, and sometimes they don’t even bother with having you return the item. They have exhaustive FAQs. There is rarely a question you can’t get answered or a problem you can’t get resolved in under 5 minutes with them.

You know why Amazon is kicking everyone’s ass? Because they do things customers like. Convenience isn’t “nice to have,” it’s table stakes. Live chat, clear FAQs, instant shipping updates, seamless returns—that’s the standard now.

4. Help customers get the most out of your product

Buying is only the beginning. Think about the amount of times you’ve needed an answer quickly and have relied on helpful digital content to solve your problem. We’d guess it’s been more than a dozen times month over month – it definitely is for us. Tutorials, quick tips, videos, or community forums help customers feel confident in what they’ve chosen. 

Many skincare brands are great at this, particularly since so many people feel insecure and unsure if they’re doing it right. Don’t allow them to feel that way if you can do something about it.

5. Keep delivering value

One of our clients, Dash, has seasonings that are salt-free, which is great for people who want to watch their sodium for their heart health. In news that won’t surprise you, even eager customers can get bored of just talking about the heart. So we’ve worked with them to make sure their web content speaks to the whole person – packing meals with flavor, having the power to adjust salt in their meals, finding their own personal flavor, and family-focused recipes. 

Share content that speaks to your customers’ broader interests and needs. Surprise them with stories, insights, and reasons to stay engaged beyond the transaction. Boredom is the enemy of loyalty. The more intimately you connect with your customer, the more likely they are to find reasons to stick around. 

6. Do what others won’t

Include personalized notes in your shipping packages. Call a customer and thank them for their business. Give them early access to new product launches, or exclusive content. Ask them for their opinion or to join a focus group about new product ideas. Anyone can do these things, and most of them don’t cost a dime. But few will actually do the work. Be one of them.

This list certainly isn’t exhaustive. Loyalty programs, referral perks, and exclusive communities all add to the mix. But the point is simple: if you treat customers like one-time transactions, that’s exactly what they’ll be. If you treat them like valued partners, they’ll keep coming back.

“Authenticity” is a popular buzzword in marketing, but what does it really mean? While it may sound simple, how can you genuinely connect with your audience and stand out in today’s crowded digital landscape? Here are five key strategies to help your brand show up authentically and make a real impact.

1. Develop Your True Brand Voice

Your brand voice is basically your personality in text form—like your digital clone, but with fewer awkward pauses. It’s how your audience spots you in the crowd and decides whether or not they want to get to know you more. So, it’s important to figure out what really defines you. Are you the witty, bold friend who always gets the last word? Or the compassionate, empowering cheerleader everyone secretly wants to be? Whatever it is, own it—loudly and proudly. Bonus tip: Pretend your brand is a person. Give them a name, a wardrobe, hopes, dreams, and a favorite coffee order. Suddenly, your brand is more than just a pretty face, but a real person your audience can connect to.

Authenticity starts with staying true to your voice, not mimicking what works for someone else. This often means using conversational language, talking to your audience like a friend or trusted confidant, and developing content that you actually care about. When you speak from a place of honesty and alignment, your audience will feel it—and trust you for it. 

2. Let Your Audience Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

People want to know the story behind your brand. When you share more about your brand story you’re personalizing your organization and giving your audience a chance to relate to you on a personal level rather than just seeing your brand as an organization. In fact, Researchers at the London School of Business found that people retain just 5% to 10% of information when it’s presented as statistics alone. However, when the same information is shared through a story, retention jumps to 65% to 70%. 

Start asking yourself some questions to help develop your story: 

• Why do you do what you do? 
• What values drive your decisions?

Share your journey, your triumphs, and even your challenges. Vulnerability fosters connection, and showing your humanity makes your brand relatable. By opening up about your mission and beliefs, you invite your audience into your world and give them a reason to root for you – and trust you.

3. Don’t Make Every Piece of Content a Sales Pitch

Nothing feels more inauthentic than being bombarded with constant sales messages. While, of course, you want your audience to use your services, no one likes feeling they’re being used just for a sale. Remember: people engage with brands for inspiration, education, and entertainment—not just transactions. Focus on creating content that adds value. Share tips, tell stories, spark conversations, and show your personality. By shifting away from a sales-first mentality, you’ll build trust and loyalty that naturally leads to conversions.

4. Showcase User-Generated Content

There’s no better way to demonstrate authenticity than letting your audience speak for you. Your audience will truly trust your impact when they see others demonstrating how they’ve loved your service rather than just taking your word for it. 

User-generated content (UGC) highlights real experiences from real people. Whether it’s reviews, photos, or social media shoutouts, UGC builds credibility and community. Celebrate your customers by featuring their stories and successes. This not only showcases your impact but also reinforces the idea that your brand is about people, not just products.

5. Don’t Worry About Perfection

In a world of filters and curated feeds, imperfection is refreshing. This of course doesn’t mean you should be sloppy, it just means you can let your guard down a bit and not worry about being too polished. Your audience doesn’t expect you to be flawless—they expect you to be real. 

Share the behind-the-scenes moments, the outtakes, and the imperfect realities of running your business. Use language that isn’t purely corporate and speak to people like… people! Polished content has its place, but authenticity thrives in the unfiltered. By embracing your imperfections, you give your audience permission to do the same.

Authenticity is about showing up as you are and trusting that your audience will connect with the real you. By developing your true brand voice, sharing your story, prioritizing meaningful content, showcasing your community, and embracing imperfection, you’ll create a brand that not only stands out but also builds relationships that last. 

Taco Bell toilet Paper? Printing money from your phone? We love a great April Fool’s joke. 

But we love April Fool’s Day even more when companies strike the right tone and execution in delivery of a hoax to put a smile on our faces, rather than making us look like a fool. When done right, April Fool’s Day is a perfect opportunity for brands to increase consumer engagement and deepen reach. 

No fooling, here are five of our favorite, well-thought-out brand activations to celebrate the day created to add some levity into the world and poke-fun at ourselves.  

Party In The Sky WestJet #FlyreFestival

Out of the ashes of Fyre Festival came WestJet’s Flyre Festival. Offering the world’s first premium in-flight music festival. The cheese sandwiches are on you though.

Out-Of-This-World Whiskey 

Taking the trend of aged whiskey to new heights, Jameson introduced triple-distilled whiskey – matured in Ireland and finished in outer space. The brand was so dedicated to pulling-the-wool over our eyes, they actually sent a bottle 110,000 feet above earth. 

Tinder Height Verification Badge

No one likes to get burned by misleading dating app profiles, so Tinder fooled us all in thinking it had created a solution to the biggest lie told on its app – height! Tinder trolled users by announcing plans to introduce a height verification badge. “Simply input your true, accurate height with a screenshot of you standing next to any commercial building. We’ll do some state-of-the-art verifying and you’ll receive your badge directly on your profile”.

The Rosetta Stone – Learn to Speak Klingon

Many a Star Trek fan has marveled at their friends who seem to speak Klingon as fluently as they speak English, German, Italian, or French. Now with this complete Klingon software package you will be able to express your thoughts safely and effectively in Klingon and master the conversational skills required to conduct negotiations, request medical assistance and partake in the rich Klingon culture. 

Money on Your Phone

Who wouldn’t love to print money from your phone? In the UK, PayPal tricked us all by announcing a new feature to turn your phone into a mobile ATM. Got us? We were fooled. 

Do you have any brand antics up your sleeve this year? Or perhaps you’d like to pull-off a similar stunt to one of these you’ve just read and you need assistance devising a concept? Making people laugh is one of our core competencies – let’s brainstorm some clever content and get your team laughing all the way to the bank! Contact us here to get started.