What are brand touchpoints?
Brand touchpoints is any time where there is interaction or communication between consumers and a brand, so not only in store or with staff but also on online, social media, or advertising. These touchpoints are vital in the perceptions of a brand’s performance and message. There are likely to be multiple touch points rather than individual during a customer’s journey both up and down stream.
Mentioned above are just some of the main examples of brand touchpoints but there are many more, which we will outline later on in this post.
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Why are brand touchpoints important?
Brand touchpoints are crucial for businesses in making positive impressions on customers in every point of the customer journey. Otherwise, poor customer experience at any touch point can have a damaging impact on not only a brand’s reputation but also, its performance.
This is where competitors can easily have an advantage over you in offering a better customer experience in serving their needs successfully and you end up facing an uphill battle. The knock-on effects of this will influence the number of sales, customer loyalty and advocacy in recommending your brand to others.
These brand touchpoints need to be structured and well organised in order to really impress your customers and encourage repeat business. When applied effectively, this can boost your brand and enhance your marketing strategy in order for your business to thrive with a customer experience that your customers are happy with.
Some of the key steps in achieving this are:
Collecting customer feedback to see how you can enhance their experience of the brand and keep track of CSAT at each of these touchpoints over time.
Look at other brands and learn from their experience
Try putting yourself in your customers shoes without being biased
Highlight and enhance existing touchpoints
Develop new key touch points for your brand
Ensure all touchpoints whether they are existing or new are user friendly.
Customer touch points examples
Outlined below is a list of brand touchpoints split out into different areas where customers may come across your brand on most occasions. There are still others areas I have not covered like direct marketing or brand visibility (product placements or celebrity endorsements) but it goes to show how extensive the list of brand touchpoints can go on for beyond the obvious touchpoints.
Through advertising
Exposure to brand advertisements of all kinds such as TV commercials, radio ads, In-store ads, online advertisements, social media ads, search ads and promotional videos.
Via events and PR
Through events and PR which can be things like trade shows, attended events, sponsorship and speeches.
Through communication with staff members
Communication with staff not only applies to sales staff but also service staff as well, where possible touchpoints could be showrooms, staff uniforms, contact with staff and their behaviour and how they presented themselves to customers.
In stores and shop fronts
In stores and shop fronts are the main places where you can convey how your brand is presented from signage, staff or location to the range of merchandise and the in-store environment. This all gives a feel of perceived quality of the products and service you provide.
Via the brand website
This is similar to the above point with having an online presence of your brand in the style, format, language that is easily identifiable to customers of your brand along with the products and services on offer.
On social media
On social media is online word of mouth via blogs, YouTube videos, tweets, pictures on Instagram and Facebook as well as other social media sites like TikTok or Snapchat that your brand maybe mentioned in a positive or negative tone.
The outline below are possible brand touch points during different intervals of a customer’s journey from before the purchase is made, to during and after the sale has been made.
Customer touch points before a purchase
Online advertisements
Social media
Personal referrals
Company events
Other digital marketing material such as promotional videos or infographics
Customer touch points during a purchase
Customer reviews
Product catalogues
Interaction with staff
Ecommerce
Point of sale
Customer touch points after a sale
Upselling / cross selling emails
Thank you emails
Surveys for product feedback
Billing actions
Subscription renewals
Hope you enjoyed this post, please check out another couple of posts about branding you may find interesting - Brand analysis , Brand Research: All You Need To Know and 9 Key Brand Research Questions To Ask
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