If your company has spent months, or even years, creating and refining a product that’s finally ready to be released to the market, the last thing you want is for it to be ignored. Customer engagement is a vital part of any business. Those who neglect it may face consequences that impact not just one product, but the business as a whole.
This was highlighted by Super Office in an exploration of the importance of customer experience. 66% of customers stated that a frustrating experience on a website hurts their opinion of the overall brand. It’s therefore crucial for companies to prioritize not only the quality of their products/services but also the experience they offer to those interacting with them.
In 2021, customer experience is becoming even more of a priority, with 45.9% out of 1,920 surveyed business professionals stating that in the next five years, they see customer experience as the most important aspect of their business. This may be the right choice, considering that 86% of buyers are willing to pay extra for “great customer service.”
Carefully and constructively choosing the right marketing strategies is essential in order to attract and engage your desired audience. There are several alterations and additions your company can consider in order to guarantee that the resources you pour into your brand aren’t squandered come launch time.
1. Understand your audience
You need to understand what your audience is after if you want to effectively hold their attention. After all, it’d be difficult to sell a horror film to someone who can’t bring themselves to watch it without hiding behind the couch, or to sell a giant chocolate cake to someone who’s dairy-intolerant. How do you avoid spending time and energy selling the wrong way or to the wrong people? You learn more about your target audience.
This can be done in several ways:
- Surveys
- Polls
- Asking for feedback and suggestions.
A 2017 “State of Engagement Report” performed by Adobe revealed 82% of businesses believe that they have an extensive understanding of their audience. This sounds comforting until you learn that more than half of customers thought brands could do a better job of engaging them.
2. Embrace digital solutions
Seeking to strengthen personal relationships with customers may prove difficult without the correct knowledge and tools. Adopting some of the technological advances within the ever-changing sales sphere may be the answer.
Digital solutions for customer engagement can include:
- Personalization
- Customized offers and content
- Refined product recommendations
- Extensive customer profiles
- Analytics
- Artificial intelligence/machine learning
- Visualization tools
- Digital toolkits
- Live chats
- Messaging platforms
- Email.
3. In-product messaging (IPM)
IPM is a tool that communicates directly to end users. If they’re actively using your product or app, you can contextualize messages in order to persuade them to take a particular action. This can help customers remain updated and enthusiastic about what’s to come from your brand.
4. Utilize social media
In this day and age social media can account for a large portion of product sales if utilized correctly. According to a LinkedIn’s “State of Sales” report, approximately 50% of revenue across 14 popular industries was generated through social sales.
Harnessing the potential of social media with an aim to gain more prospects could be wise, especially when considering the 1.074 billion Instagram users worldwide as of 2021, and 2.80 billion monthly active Facebook users.
Tactics you might want to consider include:
- Influencer marketing
- Brand ambassadors
- Advertising online contests, giveaways and coupons
- Photo and video content
- “Tag a friend” content
- Utilizing business tools
- Hosting a Q&A.
Influencer marketing in particular is a popular method, as impressionable shoppers may be more inclined to purchase something that a well-known figure is promoting or using themselves.
5. Reward engagement
Rewarding those who do engage is a clever way to encourage their return.
You might consider a range of strategies, like offering free gifts or hosting events. You could also give shoutouts to repeat customers or users, or create embeddable badges fans could use to show off their enthusiasm for your company online.
6. Improve customer support services
Enticing potential buyers may come naturally to your company; however, if your support services are lacking, keeping them engaged could be your downfall. NewVoiceMedia revealed that $62 billion is lost annually by US businesses due to poor customer service, with 74% of consumers stating they’re more likely to switch brands if the purchasing process is too difficult to maneuver.
Ensuring that there are no inherent flaws in the usability of your platforms is important, as well as offering proper support for when things do, inevitably, go awry.
Final thoughts
Improving your customer engagement may be easier than you think if you employ some of the above changes. Focusing heavily on customer needs, taking advantage of the tools available to you, and ensuring your platforms are fully-functional are key tips to keep a larger pool of consumers flocking to your business.
