As a small business, you want to maximize customer engagement, but you need to do it with aplomb and in a personal, friendly way. Let our PR consultants advise you on the top five things you need to do to improve customer engagement. You can easily create an authentic and long-lasting connection with your customers and potential clients.
Make it a Conversation
Being personal and approachable is key to making customers and clients want to talk to you. It’s more than just creating a trickle campaign. You need to leverage the data you have on customers to tailor the message to their needs and wants. Your marketing messages let you get to know them better while advertising your products that are suitable for them. As Invoice Magazine puts it, “the sales cycle never really ends.” In truth, continual customer engagement is what drives customer loyalty. According to one study, highly-engaged customers are 90 percent more likely to buy from a company.
Communicate Multiple Ways
You can use email, social media, and text messages to connect with customers. However, not everyone likes emails or phone calls. You need to have multiple ways to communicate with clients the way they want to communicate. Chat boxes on home pages are becoming a popular choice, and as technology changes, more options will open to you. Flexibility is key to engagement.
Despite 90% of customers saying they would prefer texts, only 48% of businesses are able to deliver this communication method. The technology exists, but they just aren’t using it yet. Learn what methods your customers and potential customers prefer and use those. If you aren’t comfortable or experienced with them, then hire someone who is. You need to reach your customers using the methods they use.
Give Back to Your Customers
Start a rewards program. A mom-and-pop coffee shop can easily begin a rewards program. It doesn’t need to be as complicated as Starbucks’ Rewards stars. A simple punch card that provides a free cup of coffee after the purchase of a specific number gets customers involved. It also gets you their contact information. Getting them involved also means they’ll tell others about your store or business. You can easily turn a rewards customer into an influencer.
Encourage Influencers
More and more marketers are turning to influencers to drive sales, and they’re seeing a significant return on investment. According to one study, “businesses earn $6.50 for each dollar spent on influencers with the top 13% earning $20 or even more.”
Your customers influence others to shop at your store or do business with you. If you make it easy for them to share positive items, they will. Your influencers will use social media posts you provide and wear hats and t-shirts you give them. What you do to thank your customers pays you back in free positive publicity.They’ll willingly share things on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to tell others about their positive business experience with you. But be aware that they may also share negative experiences. When you see a negative post, immediately research their issue and respond to them openly.
Address Negative Feedback
You need to monitor customer posts and reviews. Sometimes, customers leave negative feedback or a negative review. You need to respond to it in a manner that addresses and fixes the problem. It provides you an opportunity to rectify the issue for them and for future customers. People read what appears on Google Business, Yelp, and Yahoo Business. Leaving negative feedback unaddressed makes it seem like you ignore customer problems. Your business succeeds when you make it work for your customers, employees, and those you’d like to draw as customers. Show people respect and you’ll earn respect back.
Follow these five steps to reach more of your customers and potential customers. You can easily market to the masses and draw them into your business. You can always request the help of a PR professional who knows how to set up communication campaigns and create authentic, brand-building messages.
For added assistance in developing your advertising campaigns or adjusting brand strategy, let Emotiiv help!
