It has become increasingly clear to me lately what it really means to "own" a customer. Of course no company really owns it's customers. We merely serve their needs, and they get rid of us the minute we don't.
Still the expression is being used a lot around me. And I think people refer to the fact that you have a relationship with the customer. That the customer is loyal to you. And that could be for many different reasons.
Some companies do not own the end-users of their product. They are either middle-men or a B2B supplier.
Think of a super market. The suppliers of goods have very little power and are constantly pushed for lower prices by the super markets. They own the customers, they have the power.
Only the products that have a strong brand recognition and loyalty from the customer base are able to counter negotiate lower prices.
My point is that if you do not own your customers, you are extra vulnerable towards market changes and competitors.
I am part of the project Bookanaut where we realized the importance behind this lesson. We could have chosen to become the middle-man. We decided to go directly for the end-users instead.
By focusing on high quality articles and how-to's we are building up a loyal customer base. Articles like "træningsprogram" helps our brand become top of mind for our end-users.