What are brand touchpoints and why are they important

In this insight, we will be talking about brand touchpoints and their importance. In the world of brand designers and creators, there is a ton of confusing lingo thrown around for an outsider to understand.

Working as an expert in your vocation can be exhausting trying to keep up with day-to-day tasks. Trying to create your dream brand on your own, trying to keep up with the lingo, deciding what the first step is, what is most important and how to execute everything successfully can be nerve-racking and discouraging.

That’s where Sunday Roast steps in! As you know, we are a full-service brand studio specializing in brand and website creation. We explain what everything means and how we will set you up for success! And here we’ll will be talking about another important aspect of your brand creation: brand touchpoints. 

First things first, brand touchpoints are the interactions and exposure consumers have with brands. Basically, it is everything from before your customers make a purchase, during your customer's purchase to after your customer's purchase. Your customers seeing your ad on TV, finding your website on google, the overall look of your store/office to sending a “how did we do” email after the service was completed are all great examples of brand touchpoints.

Pre-Purchase

This is the stage where your customer may not know who they will buy from. This is their research stage, looking around online or asking their friends for recommendations. Some of the most common touchpoints in this phase are typically your brand website, social media accounts (74% of people following brands on social media), ads and blog posts. 

Purchase

During the purchase phase, one obvious important touchpoint is the brand’s website. Make sure that you have an easy-to-navigate, beautiful, informative site. Ensure that everything is optimized so that your customers have a positive experience (accessible for all, read more about that HERE). Think about your product delivery methods, and how the brand is represented in the office or store.

Post-Purchase

Delivery is definitely the major touchpoint here, how is your product presented? Does it provide a fun unboxing experience? Does it offer opportunities to keep in touch? For example, offer to save a percentage next time they are in the store.  Post-purchase also includes tracking updates, thank you emails, or feedback surveys are simple but effective ways to keep your customers feeling special. 

So, why are they important? Why go through all the trouble establishing the connection? Brand touchpoints sound like something that just happens organically, why does it deserve energy? Brand touchpoints are an opportunity to create a connection with your customers. They can be used as an opportunity to inform your customers of a new product, promote a popular product or even just establish rapport. Think of it this way, create a memorable, positive experience that will keep that customer coming back with friends and family and end with more sales.

Taking the time to pinpoint key brand touchpoints can greatly improve your customer's overall experience with your brand.  First, when you focus on providing a targeted, engaging experience, your customers notice. It is definitely fair to say that when your customer feels special, they are more likely to spend more money with your brand! A reported 81% of companies see customer experience as a way to stand out from competitors.

Consumers will interact with six to eight touchpoints before actually making a purchase. Make sure your brand stays consistent across all of your touchpoints. Think about the Apple brand, each ad, store, webpage, email marketing, and social media post all have one thing in common - consistency. Even with the logo or name removed, it is very obvious what brand it is and what the brand is pushing for the product/experience.

Just like with other elements of branding, consistency across all touchpoints makes customers feel more confident and comfortable with your brand. The customers believe that your brand wasn’t created in a day, that care and experience went into creating the brand. This is one way to create brand loyalty. Research shows that purchase intent improves by 90% when consumers view consistent messaging across multiple channels, while brand perception improves by 68%. From tone of voice to look and feel, your brand’s style and messaging should be easily recognizable and aligned with your company’s goals and mission (read more about this HERE).

Brand touchpoints are a perfect opportunity to build brand recognition and build loyalty with your customers when done correctly. Contact Sunday Roast to define your brand touchpoints and build the perfect customer experience!