How To Improve Customer Engagement: 6 Effective Strategies
In today’s world where customers have endless choices, engagement is key to standing out to them as a business. Customer engagement can make all the difference in brand loyalty and business growth.
In a sense, engaged customers are brand ambassadors, consciously and subconsciously advocating for your brand amongst their circles. Therefore, improving customer engagement should be any business’ priority, just as much as perfecting your product and services are.
There are multiple strategies to do so, but before that, it helps to truly understand what customer engagement means.
What is Customer Engagement?
To put it simply, customer engagement is how much your customers are engaged with your brand and services. It is a direct reflection of customers’ perception of how you, as a business, treat them.
A brand would need to consistently and intentionally put in the effort to provide value to their customers for chances of higher quality customer engagement. Over time, the concept of customer engagement has shifted as brands and companies become more creative and innovative in trying to yield customers.
In the past, having really good products and services would be enough to gain customers, if not have them come back. Now, however, it takes more than just that to woo customers as choices are plentiful for them to choose from.
Customers care how you talk to them, how they feel when they seek assistance from you and how they are perceived by others when they rep your brand. As human beings, we are naturally inclined to keep doing the things that we like.
So naturally, the more they like you, the more they are going to be talking about you, recommending you and trusting you as a brand. Did you know, 41% more brands that have a strong customer engagement strategy reported having “much higher” conversion rates than the ones that do not have solid customer engagement strategies?
That is why customer engagement is a key metric for us at Brand360. Looking to boost your brand’s customer engagement? Consult with us now!
6 Effective Customer Engagement Strategies
So, let’s take a look at some strategies you could implement in your brand to improve customer engagement.
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- Increase the overall customer experience
This should come as no surprise and is perhaps the most obvious thing ever. There are many aspects to a business. If you think you gain a customer only when they purchase your product or service, you are wrong!
Whether you gain or lose a customer begins even before they hear your name. Let us explain.
For the customers, it starts with the need for a specific product or service. Your brand might come up on their radar as they do their search. If your website or socials do not provide proper information or are not convenient to interact with, they might easily move on to the next best thing.
Then, the process of purchasing your products and services. If the quality of your products and services is slacking, you could almost bet that your customers will not be repeat buyers. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you have good quality products and services to begin with. Make sure there is something valuable that you can offer to your customers as a business.
Other ways to increase the overall customer experience could be optimising the customer experience for mobile. Statistics show that 78% of consumers use mobile devices when interacting with a business, especially for customer support.
Not only that, 45% of global consumers use mobile devices to shop online on a daily basis. Malaysia sits at number 3 for ‘daily engagement with mobile online shopping.’ Huge.
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- Leverage social media and app features
Social media is the holy grail of modern marketing. Before you go big picture thinking about marketing ads and campaigns, zoom in a little bit and think about app features that you can utilise for customer engagement.
You could collect user data with their consent, like their birth dates, contacts and location for personalised ads and suggestions. A brand that puts this to good use is Zus Coffee. When signing into their mobile application, they ask for the aforementioned details.
Every time it is someone on your contact’s birthday, they send push notifications, inviting you to buy them a coffee. Aside from that, when you enter a new location, Zus would say “hi” from their app, letting you know the closest outlet to you which is such a cool feature.
Push notifications on mobile devices go a long way. They are literal attention hooks on your customer’s home screen, the page they surely look at every single day.
When it comes to social media, do not underestimate organic growth. A personal touch you can add here is by directly interacting with your customers. That could look like replying to comments, reposting their stories and joining in on conversations that matter to your target audience. That way, they will be engaging with your content and brand more actively.
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- Surprise your customers
Who doesn’t love a good surprise right? As a brand, be innovative with the value you can offer to your customers. Be it through promotions, education or even activities. Experiment with everything and stay as relevant to them as possible.
Send them email newsletters with useful content and perhaps vouchers their way. Host events and send personal invites. Collaborate with other of your customers’ favourite brands. Send personalised video and animated messages via WhatsApp to them instead of mere texts.
Take them by surprise. This not only sets you apart from your competitors, it also gives customers the chance to engage with your brand in ways that will benefit you. The social media reposts and recommendations to their friends will certainly bring in more customers for you.
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- Provide free stuff to your customers
On the note of surprising your customers, give them free stuff! This is probably the oldest trick in the playbook, but one that is evergreen.
Realistically speaking, it is much harder to lure customers in with free stuff these days. Because they know, if you’re giving them something for free, then there’s certainly a catch.
So what you can do differently is, just give and say nothing. Watch how they go on to X (Twitter) and Instagram to talk about it. That right there, is quality customer engagement.
Create customer loyalty programmes to provide free stuff and other perks to your customers. Make them feel as if they are part of a club or community that is valuable to them.
Feelings of exclusivity always stir up a good conversation among social circles. As a brand, that means more customer engagement for you.
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- Post edgy content
This one is a hot take. It has a lot to do with how you would want your brand to be perceived by your customers. The easiest way to do this is to keep up with trends and current issues.
Look at Duolingo. Duolingo is a language learning platform, but the mascot dances its way through TikTok and wins hearts so effortlessly.
Support causes that your customers are passionate about. Listen to their concerns and what they have to say about certain topics, be it social issues or light-hearted personal ones. Join in on the conversation or go the extra mile to give them personalised experiences.
If you think all that is too vanilla for your taste, then partake in a more provoking manner. You could post content that is direct and targeted. Many brands over time have tried this method. Although this method is not always rooted for, we cannot shy away from the fact that it works.
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- Gamify the experience
The epitome of engagement is quite possibly games. Provide in-app games on your site or mobile application. Host voucher hunts and introduce point collection systems to keep your customers gauged.
Gamifying your customer experience can give your customers a chance to hang around longer, have fun, and interact more deeply with your brand. This not only increases their enjoyment but also offers a stronger emotional connection, encouraging repeat visits and loyalty.
Recent brands that have adopted this strategy are Shopee and Netflix. They both have introduced multiple games in their applications that keep customers coming back.
When customers participate in games and challenges, they become more invested in the experience. They may share their achievements on social media, inviting friends to join in, thereby expanding your reach.
Why is Customer Engagement Important?
Customer engagement is important for a few reasons. It helps build strong relationships between a business and its customers. When customers feel valued and heard, they are more likely to stay loyal to the brand.
Second, engaged customers are more likely to provide feedback. This feedback is vital because it gives brands insights into what they are doing right and what needs improvement. When a brand listens to its customers and makes changes based on their feedback, it shows that they care, which further strengthens the relationship.
Third, customer engagement can lead to increased sales. When customers are engaged, they are more likely to explore other products or services a business offers. They might try out new products, take advantage of promotions, or even upgrade to a higher-tier service. Engaged customers are not just buyers, they become fans of the brand.
Good customer service plays a big role in customer engagement. Quick responses to their questions and effective solutions to their problems make a huge difference. Quality customer service can turn a frustrated customer into a happy one and build long-term loyalty.
Lastly, customer engagement can set a business apart from its competitors. With so many options available, customers will choose the brand that makes them feel special and valued. Engaging with customers through good service and regular interactions can be the difference between a one-time purchase and a lifelong customer.
In summary, customer engagement is important because it builds loyalty, provides valuable feedback, increases sales, and helps a business stand out in a crowded market. Good customer service is a key part of this process, creating a connection that keeps customers coming back.
Bottom Line
Improving customer engagement is essential for any brand that wants to thrive in today’s competitive market. By focusing on providing a great overall customer experience, leveraging social media and app features, surprising your customers, offering free stuff, posting edgy content, and gamifying the experience, you can build stronger relationships with your customers.
Remember, customer engagement is not just about getting people to buy your products. It’s about creating meaningful interactions that make your customers feel valued and heard.
At Brand360, we believe that by implementing these strategies, you can stand out from the competition and create a loyal customer base that supports your growth. Start engaging with your customers today, and watch your business flourish.
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