There are many things that can help you get ahead of your competitors. There’s the fact that you are offering solutions to your target audience’s key problems. Your ability to provide excellent customer service and your remarkable marketing strategies also matter. But what makes a potential customer choose your brand among the others in the market? What entices them to stay?
These days, one definitive way to acquire and retain clients is to make sure your customer engagement strategy is on point. Customer engagement refers to your positive interactions with your existing customers and target audiences. Remember that engaged customers are more likely to be emotionally attached to your brand, thus increasing a sense of brand loyalty and confidence.
But then, many brands are lagging behind their competitors when it comes to customer engagement. The earlier you improve your strategy, the easier it will be for you to grow your business. But how do you know if your customer engagement strategy could use a makeover?
You Rely on a Single Method of Communication
Today’s pandemic-stricken world demands businesses to be more creative when engaging with consumers. But if you only make use of a single way to communicate with your customers and in marketing your brand, it only shows you need to step up your game. Just because most of your customers are on social media does not necessarily mean this should only be your only way of engaging with your clients.
For instance, you found success in building brand awareness with the help of Facebook. It is understandable since there are up to 2.7 billion active users of Facebook during the second quarter of 2020. But know that there are other sites worth investing in like TikTok and even your own website.
The same goes for your go-to way of communicating with your clients. If all you have been sharing are long posts that most consist of words, you will find it hard to engage consumers who have no time and patience reading thousands of words per post. Explore other means of communication and create varying content to cater to all sorts of consumers.
Consider fun and interactive polls, images, and even infographics. Don’t forget about the power of videos in showing off your expertise and enticing clients to try out your offers. You can always hire a company specializing in video animation and other services to create the type of stories that will resonate with your audience.
All You Do Is Make Assumptions About Your Customers
Assuming you know all about your customers is a good way to make the wrong impression. Your customers don’t have the same needs. Just because they agree on buying your products already meant they all have the same wants and expectations.
Stop making assumptions and start basing your engagement strategy on facts. Do your research and find out what they need, want, and expect from your brand. A little research goes a long way especially if you want to keep your best clients.
Do collect customer feedback and encourage them to leave testimonials. Consider asking them to answer short surveys and respond to each one personally. According to a study conducted by thanx.com, replying to feedback can actually grow sales by up to 22%.
You Reward Basically Everyone With the Same Perks
Many businesses are guilty of giving out the same perks to everyone. This means they give all potential audiences every freebie, discount, and preferential service terms they offer to loyal customers and existing clients. Remember that all customers are never equal.
As much as you wish to be fair for all of your clients, it is your loyal customers and existing clients that make your business successful. You want to provide the best perks to your loyal and existing clients to ensure you get repeat sales and their loyalty. The more you make them feel special, the more likely they are to stay loyal to your brand.
It is important to remember that customer service is different from giving out customer perks. It is every consumer’s right, existing customer or not, to be treated with a fair amount of attention, dignity, and respect regardless of how much they spend on the company. But when it comes to perks, it is important you know where to draw the line.
If you are guilty of these three habits, then it shows that your customer engagement strategy could really use some improvement. Note that not all customers are equal. One should never make decisions based on assumptions alone. It is also not right to rely on a single platform or way of communication. If you want to truly engage with your customers and target audiences, start improving your customer engagement strategy today.
