In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, where infinite choices are just a click away, brand loyalty is no longer a given.
Consumers are no longer swayed by just a great product, but seek more than that, craving authenticity and a genuine connection to the brand.
These shifting consumer priorities have created a loyalty crisis, in which brands must compete for the attention of buyers.
In this context, why are some brands more successful than others?
One answer lies in founder-led marketing, a relatively new concept, but one taking the social media world by storm.
Through cultivating a personal, genuine connection with their target audience, founders have been able to create brands with a loyal fanbase ready to buy anything the brand creates.
We can get a better understanding of how effective founder-led marketing can be by considering two recent success stories.
Success Story One: Aimee Smale
Aimee Smale , ex-ASOS employee, founded Odd Muse in 2020, a London clothing brand that aims to steer consumers away from fast fashion and toward quality basics.
Through the power of founder-led marketing, Aimee was able to scale Odd Muse from revenue of around $550,000 in 2021 to over $2.2 million the following year.
A look into her personal social media account (@aimeesmalex on Tiktok) can help determine her strategy.
One pattern you can see from a glance is that almost all her videos are talking to the camera face to face, thereby establishing a personal and authentic connection with her audience. She shares her ups and downs – from working at ASOS and feeling unfulfilled and overcoming struggles of a small business, to going viral on social media, opening pop ups in London and New York, and finally having over 350,000 people sign up for their Black Friday email list.
She shares her personal struggles, such as with anxiety, time management, and being the youngest person in the room. This allows her to create emotional appeal by positioning herself as a relatable and, more importantly, human individual . This allows her audience to empathise with her, and thereby builds a deeper and longer lasting relationship.
She has repeated series showcasing Odd Muse’s journey as a brand, which adds a deeper level of communication, allowing her audience to gain an insight into the life of an entrepreneur. For example, she recently did a pop-up in New York, and documented her journey on social media from building the store, overcoming interruptions to the store’s progress, giving sneak peaks into new products that would be dropping, and sharing personal struggles and last-minute pre-unveiling jitters. Through these videos, she was able to create hype and excitement around the New York pop-up weeks before it opened, and on opening day had queues that well exceeded expectations.
Furthermore, she positions herself not only as an entrepreneur but also as an influencer, sharing tips as somebody still growing her brand, allowing small business owners to gain inspiration and insight from her. . For instance, giving her thoughts on social trends and current events like Wicked’s movie premiere allows her audience to get to know her on a more personal level, which adds another layer of relatability and an opportunity to bond with her.
Success Story Two: Dhruv Bindra
Another entrepreneur that is utilising the power of founder-led marketing is Dhruv Bindra, founder of Styl, an app commonly known as the ‘Tinder for clothes’ which has garnered over 100,000 downloads since its release. Users can swipe left or right on items they like, allowing the app’s algorithm to learn their preferences and recommend them more items that are their style.
Through his brand’s Instagram account (@styl_app), Bindra was known for posting videos on his journey building the app, using his sense of humour and relatability as a college student at Duke University to attract target customers to (namely, college-aged women). Bindra, who has only just graduated from Duke, successfully sold the app and is moving to San Francisco to continue working at the intersection of e-commerce and AI.
Like Aimee, many of his videos involved talking to the camera face to face, promoting his app in a humorous manner or asking his audience for suggestions or advice.
One thing he did differently to Aimee, was to use his personality and ability to not take himself seriously to build a personal brand – this can be seen in his comment sections, where he often leaves a comment on his own videos poking fun at himself or leaving fake ‘hate’ comments to further build a connection with his audience and attract other students with the same sense of humour as himself.
As an entrepreneur, it is important to be able to understand your audience well and speak to them in their own language, which Dhruv and Aimee have both been able to do effectively in different ways.
How to adopt founder-led marketing
Now that we have seen the power of founder-led marketing, how can founders apply this marketing approach to achieve brand loyalty?
Here are 3 actionable strategies that you can use to get started.
1. Take the audience on a journey
Whether it be opening your first pop up store, launching your app, or something else, going on a journey and bringing people along with you can offer your target audience an insight into your life and the vision of your brand.
2. Find your Unique Selling Proposition
As a founder, what are the distinct features or benefits that allow you and your brand stand out? Your USP should be specific, attractive, and offer your target audience a clear benefit.
In a B2B context, your USP might focus on efficiency, cost savings, or technical performance. Whereas in a B2C setting, your USP will more likely centre on emotional appeal, convenience, or user experience.
Dhruv and Aimee both founded B2C startups. Dhruv’s emotional appealwould be his sense of humour whereas for Aimee it is her humble and down to earth personality.
Finding your USP gives your audience a reason to be interested in you and support you on your journey.
3. Don’t be afraid to share your struggles
Be willing to share your ups and downs, your struggles and achievements. This will be uncomfortable at first but will slowly become easier the more often you do it. This can make you more relatable and foster a deeper connection with your audience. It also creates a sense of authenticity and attracts an audience of people who are genuinely interested in you and your brand.
Being open and admitting vulnerability is one thing that Aimee does especially well. She continuously creates an online space that is judgement-free, allowing her and others to share their struggles of being founders and managing it all together as a community.
The bottom line
In an online landscape of infinite choice, it is more important than ever for brands to stand out from the crowd.
The loyalty crisis may seem overwhelming. Indeed, the battle to build brand loyalty requires more than just great products. Founder-led marketing presents a powerful solution where founders foster genuine connections, allowing their brand to connect with audiences on a deeper, more personal level, and thereby converting audiences into loyal fans and willing customers.
Rucha Potdukhe is a student at Imperial College London studying Medical Biosciences with Management. She has a strong passion for strategy consulting, investment banking, business, and entrepreneurship.
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