Makarand Utpat

Gaged and Engaged: Customer Engagement Techniques for All Startups

Gaged and Engaged: Customer Engagement Techniques for All Startups

It goes without saying that customers today are well-informed and not as impressionable as they used to be two decades ago.

Technology has allowed us to gain access to unlimited amounts of data and resources. Because of this, potential customers can easily gain access to information about the brands they plan to invest in.

Surveys show that customers now want more information regarding products and brands. The same report also states that customers want at least 2 to 5 images of products they’re interested in.

Creating a powerful customer engagement strategy is the key to establishing your brand’s name in the digital world. But what kind of techniques should you implement in your strategy?

Here’s what you can do:

Humanize Your Brand

A lot of brands nowadays are focusing on “humanizing” their brand. But what does this mean? This means personal interactions with your customers.

Potential customers aren’t just looking for services and products to buy. They’re looking for something more. They want to invest in a service but they also want to connect with your brand.

When you show that you value their input, you show that you care about your customers. Show your customers that you’re not just looking to sell products. Show them that you’re looking to build a relationship with them.

The Huggable Vending Machine by Coca-Cola is a great example of a brand that’s humanized its services.

Coca-Cola installed vending machines across the National University of Singapore. The vending machines had the words “Hug Me” printed on them. Students were quite surprised that by giving the vending machine a hug, they would get a free can of Coke!

Similarly, Mattel’s ad for International Day of the Girl Child that focused on girls and encouraging them to dream freely showed that they care about their customers more than their products.

Listen to Your Customers

Listen to what your customers have to say. A lot of businesses believe that customers don’t know anything but this isn’t true. As mentioned earlier, customers have access to a lot  of information, thanks to the internet.

It’s easy to look up resources and information today. Therefore, don’t assume that your customers don’t know anything about the services you offer.

Thanks to social media, it’s not just easy to gain information it’s also easy to compare different products and services. Since word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing strategy, customers often look up online reviews to learn more about a product they’re interested in buying.

So, make sure to ask your customers for feedback. This will give you insight into what your customers expect from you. This will also help you devise a marketing strategy that caters to all kinds of customers.

In addition, it will make your customers feel valued and appreciated. Potential customers are more willing to invest in your brand if they feel valued.

Furthermore, by asking for feedback, you’re also bridging any communication gap between you and your customers.

Use Useful Information

Educate your customers about your products and services. Nobody is going to invest in a brand if they know absolutely nothing about it!

Gaged and Engaged: Customer Engagement Techniques for All Startups

Think about it this way: would you buy a phone from a new phone manufacturing company if you knew nothing about its specifications? But you would most likely go for that new Samsung and Nokia phone because you can easily find information on it.

Use social media platforms to educate potential customers about your latest products. Remember that educated customers make well-informed decisions.

Furthermore, this will help create a good impression of your brand for your target audience. It’ll help establish your brand as credible and reliable.

The more people know, the more they’re willing to make an investment.

Use Social Media Platforms

This doesn’t mean you need to sign up for every platform. It simply means you need to establish your brand on the most popular social media platforms.

Social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most popular right now. But the relevance of these brands depends on your target demographic.

For example, if your target audience includes Millennials, you can promote your services on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube.

But if you’re a B2B company and your target audience includes professionals, you can market your services on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Using the right social media platforms can help you connect with the right target audience. Remember that social media is a tool to build your brand’s image. But unless your content is relevant, you’ll never be able to connect with the right demographic.

Live Video Q&As

Show your customers that you care. By hosting a live video Q&A session, you can interact with your target audience on a personal level.

You can find out what they’re looking for and ways you can improve your services. It’ll also help you get a better understanding of your customers’ needs, wants, and expectations.

As mentioned earlier, don’t assume, ask. This will also give you insight into how your customers view your brand and services.

If there’s a product that’s not faring well in the market, you can find out the reason why. And if there’s a product that’s popular, you can find out all the reasons it’s popular.

This’ll help you improve products that may not be doing well. It’ll also help bridge any communication gaps you may have with your customers.

Conclusion  

These are just a few ways you can create a great customer engagement strategy.

Now all you need is a digital marketing strategist that can create the perfect marketing strategy for your brand.

This is where Makarand Utpat comes in. With years of experience in the corporate industry, Makarand Utpat is dedicated to his clients, helping create clever, powerful, and effective marketing strategies.

He is also an established author of several digital marketing books and has been featured on TV channels such as the NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX.

Feel free to reach out to him and book an appointment today!