Three Customer Culture Tactics to Capture 1,000 Loyal Customers With the high-level marketing campaigns and budgets that large international brands get to play with, it's imperative that we look at our overall brand experience rather than just our product or service offerings to be able to thrive in the market

Have you ever considered your brand's top 1,000 customers? Segmenting your top 1,000 customers for your brand as part of your ongoing business strategy is a rising trend being adopted by some of Australiasia's top small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

So what does a top 1,000 mean for your business? Fundamentally, if your top 1,000 customers spent US$100 annually in your brand, you'd have the beginnings of a very successful business. But, the problem here lies within cultivating your top 1,000 to a point where they are dedicated, loyal and ultimately raving about your product or service.

Here are the top three customer culture tactics to build your brand with your top 1,000:

Factor P2P into your Business Strategy

We've mastered B2C and B2B, so what is P2P? In markets that are becoming more highly competitive than ever within the slowing spending economy, P2P is becoming the business strategy that is setting futurist businesses apart. P2P stands for person-to-person business tactics, ones that take the individual into consideration over marketing to large segments of consumers who factor underneath demographic parameters or associated interests identified with an automatic algorithm. P2P includes conquering your community management by interacting with each customer as a person—not an order number—and personalising every touchpoint of the customer decision journey. Operationally, this means addressing them by name; remembering their orders and preferences; and delighting them with each interaction.

Sell Brand Experience, not just Product

With the high-level marketing campaigns and budgets that large international brands get to play with, it's imperative that we look at our overall brand experience rather than just our product or service offerings to be able to thrive in the market. We know that brands sell and that they are the foundation for purchasing when customers are in a buying situation (brand salience). However, SMEs need to lean in and focus on personalising the brand experience. It is with exceptional brand experiences that customers will heuristically rate the brand positively post-purchase. With the growth of social platforms, post-purchase evaluation is equally, if not more, important than the actual purchase stage of their buying journey. Creating a strong brand experience gives the opportunity for your top 1,000 to emotionally invest in your business and get converted into loyal customers.

Deliver More to your Top 1,000 Niche

Simply put, your top 1,000 are those customers that will return to your business continuously. These customers should never be treated as transactional customers. Each of those customers is a person who has evaluated their experience and against all other options, has chosen to purchase from your brand again and again. Rewarding them with personalised notes, exclusive access, more community-driven content, high level post-service delivery reports, and personal interaction will guarantee that you are investing in them as much as they are in your business.

When you're wanting to build your customer culture, make sure you're implementing P2P business strategies, selling your brand experience, understanding your customer to create a solid foundation of brand loyalty and continued purchasing from your very valued segment of top 1,000 customers.