Consumers are in charge. With the rise of mobile and social technologies, customers are more powerful than ever. They’re now in control of their own experiences, which is why companies are being forced to reconsider their engagement tactics.
Providing real, personalized experiences at the right time is essential for brands that want to survive. If you want to stay on the radar, follow these 6 ideas to drive consumer engagement.
Everyone loves entertainment
Did you know that 50% of the time individuals spend on their phones is used to engage on social media or play games? I know for a fact I’m one of them. People are always looking for entertainment and anything that’s going to satisfy their senses. In other words, if you want to draw in and keep the attention of your consumers, you’ll have to keep your interactions eye-catching and bold.
Instant gratification is key
Instant gratification is the name of the game when it comes to today’s consumer. Providing them with real-time benefits drives retention. The faster they can get something, the more they’ll like it. A brand that offers real-time benefits will provide a fun and enjoyable customer experience that won’t soon be forgotten. It’ll only keep them wanting more.
Mobile is the perfect platform to provide those benefits. For example, if you operate a coffee shop, you could offer everyone who checks in on Facebook a “buy one, get one free” deal. Facebook and deals go together like beer and baseball. It’s a definite win-win.
Get involved
Regardless of the platform you use, you need to get involved. Don’t just talk at people, bombarding them with promotional messages all the time. Actually take time to engage in conversations with them. Listen to their problems and learn from their needs, finding ways you and your brand can respond.
By responding, you show your customers you care, which can go a long way toward building long-lasting relationships. Looming over your customers without taking time to build a personal relationship isn’t going to win you any brownie points – and brownie points are where it’s at.
Keep your promises
There’s nothing worse that getting amped up about something and having it fall through. Don’t do this to your target audience. In most cases, customers are more than willing to provide information to brands that will make their present or future experiences better. People opt-in to emails, loyalty programs, etc. because they feel it will benefit them in one way or another. Once a customer directly engages, the worst thing a brand can do is not leverage that customer information to deliver a personalized experience.
So, if you ask for personal details from a customer, make sure you actually use it to give them a better feeling of who your brand is and to increase your relationship interaction. Leaving solid information high and dry is like being offered $50 and turning it away – who does that? Grab it and make use of what’s given to you.
Beef up your content
Offer your customers exclusive content. It’ll increase their knowledge of your industry, services, and products, and it’s is a great way to gain their trust and engage with them. By offering your target demographic content on your blog or website that isn’t available anywhere else, you’re sure to attract a larger following. You’ll be like the T-Swift of internet. Kind of.
Creative and exclusive content and top-notch SEO can increase website visits. You can make your content exclusive by requiring users to subscribe to your blog site; however, this doesn’t mean you have to charge for subscriptions. It just means customers will be more aware of everything you post, allowing them to feel more personally engaged to your brand.
Always look toward the future
Engagement isn’t a one-time thing. We engage audiences so they will continue to interact and spend more time and money on your product or service. Brands that retain customers do so by constantly leveraging the details they know and using them to uncover ways to improve future experiences. Always be thinking about how you can amp up your game. Do your research and find opportunities that’ll excite and engage your audience in new, undiscovered ways.
Thinking of how to engage your consumers doesn’t have to be a headache. There are hundreds of tools at your disposal – including these 6 hints. If you get stuck, step inside the mind of a consumer and brainstorm ideas you’d like to experience. Still not finding what you’re looking for? Get in touch with our team, and we’ll help you get there.
