Peer Support for Motivation & Change – Building Communities and Brand Loyalty

Peer support is the key to creating the motivation to change.  Give consumers communities to help them achieve personal goals and you’ll gain their loyalty.

Part five in a series uncovering what makes us buy and why (aka insights into the Deep Motivators of Consumers and the Future of Consumer Marketing) See the introductory post here.

Most people want to change something about themselves.  But change is tough!  A new breed of company now brokers connections with peers and experts to promote greater compliance with goals, as well as the motivation to achieve personal objectives. Whether financial planning, weight loss, or just sticking to a New Year’s resolution, social support is one of the most powerful drivers of personal change.

Myntcity

Myntcity is a platform that enables people to request help from their social networking friends with tasks (such as resume writing, babysitting, plumbing, and accounting) with a point-based incentive system. The friends who help out receive Mynt points, which are redeemable for cash, gift cards, or products online. Users are able to have tasks done much more easily and safely, by those they already know an trust.  Why give business to a stranger when you can give it to a friend?!

Jenny Craig

An online community dedicated to weight loss and peer support for encouragement, Jenny Craig has created a platform where members can discuss training, diets, weight loss, and more. Members are able to share their stories and find inspiration, which helps support them as they go through tough changes. The journey of losing weight can be hard on many people; understanding this, Jenny Craig created a safe environment where people can be open and honest with other going through the same process, which reinforces the motivation to reach personal goals.

Accountability to personal communities and support groups is one of the most effective ways to ensure achieving personal goals, which is why platforms facilitating such support have such a big draw. Brands can leverage their own customer communities (or even social media) to create customer loyalty — and as peer support communities grow, so does brand awareness.

Fear Fixers and Simplicity Seekers are the consumer segments that drive the Peer Support trend.  Check out my introductory blog post for their definitions.  Next week we’ll look at Interactive (Virtual) Shopping.