Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
Customer engagement is a huge concern for brands because effectively communicating with a target audience helps build retention, loyalty, and trust. How brands communicate with their clients in the digital age varies greatly from the marketing methods of the past. If your brand is searching for effective strategies to engage customers, read on for tips from how to lead with authenticity to learning the benefits of a Google ads agency for expanding communication outlets.
1. Relate to Customers Authentically
Consumers are searching for brands they can easily relate to and that type of connection is often one of the most important deciding factors in purchasing. For brands, this means piecing together a strong personality that allows its target audience to easily relate. For example, think about what your target customer cares about and how that relates to shopping with your brand. Do you sell outdoor tools for campers or hikers? This demographic has a love for nature and simplicity so creating a brand personality that authentically incorporates those traits helps your potential customers see your brand as an easy choice to spend their money on.
It’s not just about trying to incorporate these traits in your business, it means really allowing those traits to become a part of your company’s core values. That’s where the brand authenticity piece comes in because if you say one thing and do another, you will lose the respect of your customer. Using the camping example, nature lovers tend to desire to reduce their environmental impact. As a brand, you can showcase your core values by using packaging that is recycled or environmentally conscious. That shows customers that you are walking the walk.
2. Communicate with Customers in Multiple Ways
In digital marketing, there are various ways you can communicate with your customers. Two of the biggest ways are social media and search engines. When it comes to social media, being active on whichever platform (or platforms) your target audience is on isn’t optional, it’s a need. Social media is where most consumers are spending their time and you want to be where they are to become a part of their daily lives. Plus, social media is a great format to help your build a relationship with your customers because you can showcase a variety of content from new products to company news.
Equally as important as social media is keeping your brand optimized for search engines, such as Google. Search engines are often the first place consumers go when they are looking for something. If your brand isn’t practicing effective search engine optimization (SEO), then you are not staying competitive in your market. Using a Google ads agency is a cost-effective way to effectively engage and convert customers through this essential marketing channel.
3. Focus on Retention
Customer retention is a more cost-effective marketing strategy compared to gaining new customers. Not only are existing customers responsible for repeat business but their brand loyalty can produce priceless word-of-mouth marketing. Loyal customers who love and connect with brands are likely to tell their family, friends, co-workers, and more all about the brands and products they love.
Customer retention and engagement are closely related and should both be considered when implementing marketing strategies. On social media, this means engaging with your current customers and asking them about your products or seeking their input on new products. For Google ads, this can be done with a retargeting strategy to help remind your current customers about your brand and stay on their radar.
4. Deliver Exceptional Customer Experiences
When companies improve their customer experiences, it is reported that they see an 84% increase in revenue. Customers who have an enjoyable experience with a company are more likely to have repeat business and share their experience with their community. On the other hand, when customers have a bad experience, they will still tell those close to them but it won’t do any good for the brand.
Putting the effort into providing customer experiences is an essential way to increase customer engagement. When a customer purchases from you, if they love the experience they have received, they are going to feel good about not only the product or service you offer but the brand as well. They may even seek to engage further by signing up for your email list or following the brand on social media.
Conclusion
Building a strong customer base is an essential part of owning a business and needs to be a primary focus. Test out these strategies to increase customer engagement and see just how else your business benefits from this effort.
