Did you know that 80% of consumers are more likely to do business with a brand if it offers a personalized way of engaging them? Furthermore, the number one reason consumers switch to a new brand is feeling underappreciated. So, what does this mean for your business?
In a nutshell, if you fail to engage with your customers properly, you will lose them to your competition. That being said, it is never too late to start implementing a customer engagement marketing strategy that will resonate with your customers and help you generate high-quality leads and, ultimately, make more sales. From utilizing the latest technologies to offering interactive videos to encouraging feedback from customers, keep reading to discover seven simple strategies that will help keep your customers engaged for the foreseeable future.
- Ask for feedback
People like to be listened to. They like to offer up their opinions, especially when it comes to their preferred brands. So why not ask your customers to provide feedback, both in terms of the products or services you offer and in relation to how they feel about you as a brand?
The best way to ensure that you get the feedback you need is to offer your customers an incentive to do so. Not only will this reiterate the fact that you value them as customers, but it also means that you can control how and where they leave feedback.
The last thing you want is for an unsatisfied customer to leave a negative review on your social media pages for all to see.
- Focus on customer service
In today’s digital world, where automation is becoming increasingly popular as a way for brands to communicate with customers, you can position yourself as a superior business by providing exceptional customer service.
Make sure you offer a simple yet effective way for your customers to get in touch with you and always try to respond to them as quickly as possible. It only takes one negative experience with your brand for a customer to become disengaged and seek out one of your competitors.
In fact, with the internet offering so many fast and effective solutions to consumer problems, it has never been more difficult to convert one-off customers into long-term, loyal ones.
- Integrate recommendations
If you could name one business that continues to thrive and grow despite changes in market conditions and consumer’s needs, it would undoubtedly be Amazon. Never one to rest on their laurels, the world’s number one online retailer managed to increase online sales by 29% when they began integrating recommendations into their customers’ purchasing process.
How do product recommendations work?
It’s simple. By recommending products that either complement what a customer is currently purchasing or that should interest them based on their purchase history, you are making their lives easier for them. In turn, this not only increases customer engagement but also builds brand trust.
That being said, you must be careful not to recommend products that do not suit a particular customer — for example, recommending a leather jacket to a vegan.
- Use interactive videos
Video content has exploded in popularity in recent years, with 85% of all internet users in the United States watching online videos every month. This type of content provides you with the perfect opportunity to connect and engage with your target audience, offering you a chance to showcase your personality and tell your brand story.
As a general rule, you should aim to make your videos more informational than promotional as users don’t want to feel that they are being pushed a specific product. You should always finish your video content with a clear CTA (call to action) so that your customers know what to do next.
It can also be a good idea to encourage users to replay your video content as many will be distracted the first time, they watch it and not be able to absorb the content fully.
- Deliver omnichannel engagement
If you want your customers to feel fully engaged with your brand, you need to make sure that you deliver a consistent brand message across all channels. This includes emails, social media, print ads, and blogs.
Although your customers may discover your business on one particular channel, that doesn’t mean that they won’t also use other channels to experience your brand throughout their purchasing journeys. Therefore, you need to ensure that all your channels are fully integrated and offer the same consistent and high-quality experience.
How users consume your brand on each channel will be different, and you should tailor your delivery accordingly. For example, on Instagram, your approach should be more visual and you should focus on using the best hashtags.
- Respond to reviews online
As mentioned above, a key element of customer engagement is providing exceptional customer service. In the same way that it is beneficial to ask your customers for feedback, when they do leave a review, you should always take the time to respond, even if it is just to say thank you.
If you do receive a bad review, you may be tempted to ignore it and focus on the good ones instead. However, a bad review should be seen as a way to improve upon your business and should be responded to with the following:
- A sincere apology
- A quick resolution
Most customers will understand that mistakes can happen, and it will be how you deal with their issue that they will remember rather than the error itself.
- Utilize AR (Augmented Reality)
Although new technologies and industry innovations can be daunting for some, learning to embrace the right developments for your brand can massively improve your overall customer experience and customer engagement levels.
Augmented reality is one technology that can be beneficial for nearly all sectors, offering customers an interactive way to see how a product works or how it would look in their homes.
For example, if you are an online fashion retailer, your customers could see exactly what a particular outfit would look like on them before they bought it.
Or, if you are an interior design company, you could show your clients exactly what a certain item or style would look like in their home.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to augmented reality.
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