Brand intimacy is the measure of how close or emotionally connected we are to the brands that we use. According to massive amounts of research and data created gathered by Forbes, Small Biz Daily and the term itself being coined by MLBM – consumers are more likely to purchase and stay loyal to a brand they feel more emotionally connected with.
With people having more options than ever before, brands have to go above and beyond to demonstrate value and stand out which is where brand intimacy becomes a game changer.
‘Trust’, in the business world, is absolutely everything. It’s the foundation of all relationships which inspires honest connections. Building brand intimacy, teaches that your brand isn’t just focused on ‘the sale’, but is more focused on the experience it provides for its clients. It creates the trust that’s needed to form an emotional connection... which in result, creates brand loyalty. All of those factors are massive players in creating a a sense of community amongst their consumers which provides value via brand affiliation.
If you're looking to build your brand currency, give back to the causes that matter. Most companies incentivize their audience by promoting a portion of sales being donated to a cause. While that works and shows consumers that the brand is willing to miss out on profits, it doesn’t create as much of an emotional connection. It can be argued that – “If products aren’t bought, donations aren’t made” which puts the brand in a position of questioned ethos. The brands that nail ‘Giving Back’, give before they sell and show continuous support to the cause. Only then do they promote incentives to get people involved and follow up to that by showing appreciation to the supporters.
In a nutshell, building a connection is built through the brand not the product.
For reference, you’ll notice that FSM never advertises or markets the services we offer. We create campaigns that show experiences, and allow the industry that we’re a part of to connect with each other through our platforms. We speak about our brand philosophies, ethos, and daily practices, which allows us to maintain authentic in our approach to storytelling. By omitting sales driven content, we create a like-minded community which gives us more value than any monetary gain. In return, it’s given us the opportunity to build a network of extraordinary people and sometimes, we’re lucky enough to tell their stories.