As a business, it’s no longer good enough to be considered “good.” That just doesn’t cut it anymore. Today, to successfully stand out from your competition and win new and existing customers’ loyalty, you must be extraordinary.
Remarkable, even.
Being successful in business all comes down to how you engage with your customers. The good news is, how well your business provides customer engagement is well within your control.
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What is customer engagement?
Customer engagement is about how your brand interacts with customers, both online and offline. From social media posts, blogs on your website, or in-person experiences, customer engagement has many opportunities.
Consistency is key rather than going all out on social media, then taking a hiatus. Creating an online planner or calendar, with the appropriate delegation, can help maintain consistency and organize the variety.
Let your customers know you and your team love to network, attend events and learn new things. After over two years of attending events virtually, there appear to be many in-person events that are very well attended. Not only will your existing customers be pleased to see you accept their invitations, but it is also a great way to meet new prospective customers and get an on-the-spot referral from your hosts!
The Rules
It is essential to understand the rules of engagement to enhance their experiences, which will inevitably lead to your company’s success.
Here are four customer engagement rules that will help take your business from good results to extraordinary outcomes.
Rule #1: Remember: It’s Not About You.
The first rule of customer engagement is to always keep your customers at the heart of everything you do.
When selling a product or service, it’s not enough to only understand your customer’s challenges. Instead, you must understand who they are to connect to them on a deeper level. When customers feel as though you’re speaking directly to them and that your product or service was made just for them, you’ve succeeded.
For example…
- What lingo or industry words do your customers use?
- What kind of music do they listen to?
- Is their humour dry or witty?
- Is their culture casual or more formal?
- How strict is the dress code, which you need to try and mirror, within reason.
While some of this may seem irrelevant to your business, knowing your customers inside out is one of the best ways to make them feel significant.
MAKING YOUR BRAND UNFORGETTABLE BY OFFERING ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCES IS A SURE WAY TO GET YOUR MESSAGE TO SPREAD.
Rule #2: Create Unforgettable Experiences.
An estimated 60 percent of consumers are willing to try new brands if it means they’ll receive improved service.
Making your brand unforgettable by offering one-of-a-kind experiences is a sure way to get your message to spread, and it’s one of the can’t-break rules of successful customer engagement.
Let’s say an older man sits down at a bar. The bartender engages the man in a conversation and asks how his day is going. It turns out the man is from out of town and came to your bar specifically to try a local draught beer – which you happen to be out of that night. Sure, the bartender could offer the man something else. Or he could call the liquor store across the street and see if the restaurant could purchase some of their supply to offer the man – on the house.
Now that’s exceptional!
Think about your product or service and with your team, brainstorm ways that you could create that unforgettable experience. It is not necessary to wait for an exception, or customer service failure; strive for an experience that not only makes your customer feel great, but makes you feel great too. That is the experience that your customers will tell others about!
Rule #3: Be Willing to Experiment.
Technology is constantly changing, and it can be challenging to keep up or stay ahead of trends. But the more willing your brand is to experiment with new methods, the more effective your customer engagement will be.
Experimenting with new ways to communicate with customers may be as simple as jumping on a new social media platform, creating your own company app, or making an existing process more user-friendly based on customer feedback.
Experimenting in your business sends the message you’re willing to try new things to promote improved communication and enhance their overall experience with you. It gives the impression your business is innovative and a step ahead of the trends.
Look at other markets and what businesses in your industry are doing. A trend starts somewhere so keeping your ears and eyes open is important.
Rule #4: Get Personal.
Customers are most likely to engage with (and in turn, buy from) business brands who they feel they can trust. Brands that understand them. And brands that have proven they can relate to them on a personal level.
For example, generic emails and sales letters are far from personal. But if you take a generic template and combine it with the intelligence of online targeting, or even with the information you already have about the customer, you can easily create a customized approach to customer engagement.
Reliability creates trust and striving to under promise and over deliver will as well. As convenient as it might be to focus on email marketing, think of ways you can stay in touch with your customers apart of email. Sometimes we scoff at snail mail, but if it is a less common point of contact, it can be more memorable.
Think of occasions that can be celebrated and recognized. Break your customer lists into smaller categories so your marketing message is less generic and therefore more personal.
At the end of the day, being innovative and original will go a long way to connecting and building loyalty for your business.
Looking for support with customer engagement, and beyond?
At X5 Management, we would love to host your Discovery Call to learn more about your challenges, and areas of opportunities. If customer engagement is not as strong as you would like it to be, we can help!
