Affinity vs. Action

And The Major Mistake Many Marketers Make

A common mistake many marketers make is relying on current customer research to inform current marketing strategy.

While asking your current customers why they love your brand can be informative, it can also misguide even the savviest marketer.

Here’s why…

Why We Buy & Why We Love Brands

The value propositions that drive a purchase decision are often not the value propositions that drive post-purchase brand affinity.

Meaning, why people buy and why people love your brand can often be very different things.

In The Case Of Higher Ed

In the case of higher education marketing, we see this reality play out when adult/online institutions mistakenly choose to position their brand around student service and support.

The reality is that while many current students love the support they receive - and the people who provide it - service and support are not a primary factor for the majority of prospective students when they are selecting an institution.

Why is that?

Because many prospective students either don’t think they’ll need the support, or they simply don’t value it at the outset of the process as much as other value propositions; such as fit and flexibility, credibility, speed to completion, or cost.

They ultimately have to experience the support - post-purchase - to revisit and revise how they perceive the value of it, especially in relation to other value propositions of your brand.

The Difference Between Affinity And Action

This isn’t to say student service and support aren’t critical; outside of learning objective achievement and overall lifetime value, there’s likely nothing more important.

But it is an important reminder that the value propositions that drive purchase decisions are often not the value propositions that drive post-purchase brand affinity.

Both are important, but we must remember that they are not in fact the same.

What’s A Marketer To Do?

So if you're putting together a new marketing campaign, be careful when listening to your current customers.

Yes, ask them how they feel about your brand.

But also, ask them why they decided to make the decision in the first place.

And take the time - and spend the money - to also ask prospective customers as well.

Because if all we do is ask people why they love us, they’ll share a world of insights related to affinity, but not necessarily provide the insights needed to understand what truly drives someone to act.

Because…

Why People Buy And Why People Love Your Brand Can Often Be Very Different Things

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About the Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.

You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.