COURTESY / BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
Paula Fleming is the chief marketing and sales officer for the Better Business Bureau serving Maine.
December 3, 2021
How businesses can better engage their customers
By Paula Fleming, Better Business Bureau
New small businesses are emerging at a rapid pace. With a significant increase in the number of companies now operating, small businesses have to work harder than ever to reach their potential customers and stay competitive.
One of the biggest challenges small businesses are facing is customer engagement. The good news, however, is that some of the top customer engagement strategies to implement for your business aren't nearly as challenging as you may think.
What does customer engagement look like? Engagement is a critical part of the customer experience.
It can come in various forms, including:
- Interactions between you and your audience via social media (commenting on posts, hosting live videos, etc.)
- Email open rates
- Engagement in surveys/polls
Any form of interaction between your business and the customers can be categorized as customer engagement. The ultimate goal of these interactions is to give each customer a unique, personalized experience.
Benefits of regular customer engagement
Studies show that 45.9% of businesses plan to prioritize their customer experience within the next five years, and for good reason.
Not only does investing in the customer experience have the potential to double your revenue within 36 months, but 86% of buyers say they are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. About the same number, 83% of customers, say they expect immediate engagement when they connect with a new brand, so customer engagement has never been more critical.
Top customer engagement strategies
If you are trying to form a better relationship with your customers, these customer engagement strategies will help you get started:
Prioritize the customer experience. Your customers will spend more time on your website than on any of your other marketing channels. If your website was not designed to provide a seamless customer experience, however, they will not want to stay on your site to make a purchase. Make sure your website is designed to engage with your customers.
To improve your site’s engagement, use a good mix of content types, including video, photos, and written blog posts. The more you can encourage your customers to interact with your site, the more likely they will be to make a purchase.
Make proactive use of social media. Social media is a powerful tool for engaging with your customers. Some 70% of people in the U.S. and 57% of people worldwide use social media, which means if you haven't started including these platforms in your customer experience strategy, you need to start.
Social media is one of customers’ preferred methods of interacting with brands. They use social media to share information, discuss products and services, and get answers to questions. Social media also allows brands to start conversations with customers and resolve any issues that may arise.
Consider leaderboards and related tools. “Gamification” uses game mechanics to engage customers. Game mechanics include functions like leaderboards, points, achievements and leveling up to earn special rewards and perks.
Personalization is crucial. Customers expect brands to recognize and adapt to their personal needs and preferences. If you can't provide a unique and tailored customer experience, it will be challenging to stay competitive.
You can personalize customer experience with product or service recommendations, email or newsletter content, social media posts, advertisements and interactive content.
Interactive content is a powerful way to give customers the personalized experiences they are looking for, and it goes beyond your standard blog or social media content. It can include surveys, questionnaires, games, livestreaming and live video, virtual reality or interactive ads.
Encourage feedback. Giving your customers the opportunity to provide feedback on your products and services is the ultimate way to build a loyal customer base. Customers want to have a voice, and by providing feedback, they have the chance to share their experiences. Feedback is also one of the most effective ways to build your brand and establish your credibility, as it builds trust between you and your customers. It also helps you better understand what your customers are looking for and where you need to improve.
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