Engagement is a term often thrown around in marketing meetings, utilised heavily by image consultants and a common feature in SEO briefs. Engagement is far from business jargon, though; it simply describes the mechanisms by which a business can acquire and retain new customers or clients. Here are five crucial ways your business can engage with its customers.
Social Media
The invention of social media was the catalyst for a paradigm shift in the way businesses publicly operate and market themselves, as networking and direct appeals to individual customers become instantly feasible. Advertisements could be targeted to specific demographics with laser precision, upping advertisement engagement in an extremely meaningful way. Nowadays, a business is actively harming its engagement if it is not leveraging social media platforms to further its brand and reach out to existing customers, which are vital for increased engagement in the modern age.
Events
Events are a crucial way to generate engagement with your customer or client base, and traffic from potential new customers and clients alike. These might take the form of in-person events, such as exhibitions, demonstration days or even mixers – though online alternatives are increasingly common, and often cheaper. Use an event app to engage customers with an online event, whether a product or service launch, a keynote or simply a networking opportunity. The most important part of the event is the follow-up afterwards; keeping a line of contact open with attendees will increase the likelihood of their future engagement with your business considerably.
Competitions
Holding competitions can be an excellent form of incentive marketing for your consumer bases. An example: requiring people to enter using personal information like email addresses is key for growing mailing lists, which can be responsible for a surprisingly large chunk of business – but requiring them to forward the competition to a friend as a condition of entry can more than double that list with little extra work. Combining competitions and social media is even better, as said competition can reap the benefits of organic reach to larger audiences, and once again requiring the tagging of friends and family can increase your engagement threefold.
Discounts and Rewards
If you are noticing a drop-off in return custom, the judicious use of reward programs can stymie the flow – and, with the right discount incentives, increase your appeal to new consumers and increase your regular customer onboarding. With 55% of UK consumers using a discount or loyalty scheme last year, it’s evident that they are effective methods of furthering your brand over any competition. Offer a discount program for first-time customers to get them on board with your product or service, and offer repeat customers the opportunity for future discounts with loyalty cards or mailouts.
Customer Service
Customer service should be a core tenet of your business model, regardless the level of customer interaction. Any point of contact between your company and paying consumers needs to be at the very least a constructive one, if not entirely positive. Getting your customer service correct can guarantee repeat custom, and create opportunities to expand your customer base through word-of-mouth.