Every brand, from the small local retail shop to the multinational corporate empire, thrives on customer engagement.
Engaged customers spend more money, share more of your content, and are more likely to recommend you to friends and family.
But knowing how to engage customers isn’t always easy. So we put together this straightforward list of principles that can apply to pretty much any business.
We’ll offer lots of examples, but you may need to think outside the box a little to find ways to engage your specific audiences in your specific industry.
4 Strategies For How To Engage Customers
#1 Have Fun With Them
When customers perceive your business as fun, they realize that there are real-life humans behind the scenes.
And that means they will trust you more.
A business that can joke around with itself and its customers is one that people want to engage with. They want to reply to your tweets, enter your contests, and share you with their friends.
Create a running gag or inside joke. A recurring joke is an easy way to show your customers that you have a sense of humor. Take Legiit founder, Chris Walker, for example. Pretty much every time he makes a new announcement or advertises a webinar, he jokes that there will be free pizza. This little inside joke has grown so beloved over the years that now you actually can find free pizza on Legiit.
Be playful on social media. Use your social channels for more than marketing your products and services. Honestly, straight up sales posts should make up a very small percentage of your social media content. Instead, use social sites to let your fun side come out, like Wendy’s does.
#2 Give Them A Way To Remember Your Brand
One measure of customer engagement is how much your brand is on their mind. When they think of your industry, how likely are they to think of you?
Being memorable goes hand in hand with engagement. Get in front of more customers, at the right time, in just the right way—and they’ll never be able to forget about your business.
Create a unique customer experience. Your brand’s most lasting impression with your customer is generally going to be their experience buying from you. Everyone remembers the time the restaurant got their order wrong, for example.
But what is something you can do to make every customer remember their experience with your business in a positive way? Maybe it’s your packaging. Maybe it’s a special freebie that every new customer gets. Maybe it’s a personalized welcome package.
Use t-shirt marketing. T-shirts are the perfect way to get your brand out there in front of everyday people on a daily basis. Russell Brunson created an almost cult-like following for ClickFunnels in part by giving every new customer a free t-shirt. Check out our post on t-shirt promotion ideas for more inspiration.
Be consistent. Consistency is one of the most important aspects of successful branding. Obviously, your color schemes and logo designs are going to be uniform. But customer engagement comes from being consistent in every way you communicate with your audiences.
For example, if you have a weekly email blast, try to send it out on the same day. Post to your blog and social accounts regularly. They won’t do much to engage customers if you go weeks or months without sharing anything.
#3 Ask Them Questions
Customers want to know that they mean more to you than the revenue they provide. If they feel involved in your business, they will grow in loyalty.
And asking questions is the perfect way to get customers involved.
Ask them about their needs. There are obvious benefits to knowing more about exactly what your customers need. The most straightforward benefit is that it gives you ideas for new products and services. Or it allows you to tailor your current offerings to better serve them. Beyond that, these questions—when authentically asked—let your customers know that they matter to you.
Ask them to share their experiences. Specifically, experiences with your brand. How have your services changed their lives? How has working with your company been different from other companies? And get creative with how you ask these questions. Sure, a Google Form might gather a lot of data. But inviting customers to post pics with your products on Instagram is a more engaging way to ask the same questions.
Ask them for advice. Collectively speaking, your customers have a lot more knowledge and ability than you and your team. Asking for advice about an upcoming promotion or event gives them an organic way to engage. And it gives you valuable information that will make your efforts more successful.
#4 Inspire Them
Every one of your customers has a bad day sometimes. Every one of them has dreams that need encouraging. Every one of them could use a reminder that there is good in the world.
See your company as more than a provider of a product or service. See it as an inspiration to the world. A shining beacon leading others to things greater than themselves.
Share your vision. Does your company have a vision? Does your vision statement do more than gather dust on your About Us page? Consider creating a marketing campaign specifically focused on sharing your vision with the world. Customers love a business with a purpose. So shout from the rooftops about how you are making the world a better place.
Share inspiring quotes and stories. You can also use your blog and social media channels to give customers a daily dose of inspiration. For example, we’ve got a few posts like 10 Best Motivational Business Quotes. And we are constantly sharing success stories about how Legiit has changed the lives of our users on the Legiit Official Facebook Group.
Above All, Care About Your Customers and Serve Them
The 4 strategies we’ve covered are just outward expressions of a company that actually cares about its customers. So when you put their best interests at the center of your mission—and inspire your team to do the same—stuff like this is going to just flow naturally.
And engaged customers will follow.
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