You have customers! That is wonderful. But are they engaged with your business? If you aren’t sure, now is the time to develop those relationships further because engaged customers are loyal, provide good feedback, buy more products or service, and will tell others about what you offer. Now is the time to connect with your customers on a deeper level.
What does this look like? Well, it is about much more than simply retaining customers and keeping them happy. Customer engagement requires a lot of work, but if done well can create brand ambassadors. Ultimately, this leads to more business and better results. Let’s explore how to increase engagement.
Start Here …
If you want better customer engagement, consider your customer’s overall journey. There are also some critical questions to consider here.
First, do you have a high price point? Is your product or service technical? Take time to consider how to improve the overall buying experience. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
Some potential clients start their buying journey online. For these customers, a website and social media will need to be compelling. The brand story will need to be strong. It will need to provide information in an easy and accessible manner.
Others want to come into a physical location. A physical location can often provide a place to engage with clients on a deeper level. Companies can get to know their customers face-to-face, which can be a value-add for many.
While starting with the buying journey is the first step, post-sale support becomes key later in the customer journey. Support staff must be responsive and personable. They must be interested in your customers, asking questions and providing feedback. They need to be genuine.
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
In today’s always-on, always-available world, personalization is key. Companies also have to tap into customer data. Consider information such as purchase behavior, lifetime value, or browsing behavior. Each could provide more insight into a client, helping to personalize their journey. While there is an extra expense to this, both in terms of time and money, it is becoming more attainable today than in day’s past with the advent of new technologies.
Consider how you might scale systems you already how in place or consider new systems to capture such data about your clients. Then use the information you gather to provide a better customer experience.
If fancy technology isn’t your company’s style, then consider a good old-fashioned survey. Feedback is the first step in enhancing engagement. If you can better understand what your client is thinking, then you can better serve them.
This information can be collected in a number of different ways: from paper or electronic surveys, in workshops, in blogs, social media, or simply from a customer service phone call.
Another useful tool to consider is a customer loyalty program or a referral incentive. Some companies may choose to separate customers into different groups with like interests and behaviors. This can help to personalize messaging. Or perhaps experiment with different outbound messaging in emails, text, or social media. There are so many different ways to keep customers engaged.
The final step would be to continue to track your metrics over time and adjust your strategy as needed. Pay attention to all the key performance indicators: number of customers, sales per customer, and revenue, just to name a few. Some companies may also consider the numbers related to newsletter subscribers, video shares, customer satisfaction metrics, and survey responses. This data will be key to keeping your customer engaged with your business.
