{"id":12861,"date":"2022-11-21T09:59:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T09:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/?p=12861"},"modified":"2024-01-31T18:23:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T18:23:33","slug":"customer-engagement-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/customer-engagement-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Proven Customer Engagement Strategies to Keep Users in the Loop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Customer engagement<\/em> and customer engagement strategy<\/em> – these two are quite buzzwords in online business today. But what do they really mean? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, customer engagement defines the quality of a brand\u2019s communication with its users across various touchpoints throughout their lifecycle. This is the way to build and strengthen \u2018human-to-human\u2019 connections with clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when we speak about customer engagement strategies, what we mean is a plan of how to create and keep that amazing customer engagement level at your company. And it\u2019s not an easy task, as the notion is no longer limited to support, sales, or services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, customer engagement is a continuous process of brands anticipating users\u2019 needs and keeping in touch with clients to foster strong lasting relationships, loyalty, and hence, business growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s have a closer look at how to increase customer engagement starting now \ud83d\udd0d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is a customer engagement strategy? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A customer engagement strategy is a plan for delivering connected experiences to your customers instead of single, one-off transactions. Ongoing positive communication will help to convert leads into clients and keep current customers interested in future purchases.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also about your ability to attract users\u2019 attention<\/a> and engage into continuous interaction with the brand. To do that, it\u2019s often required to rethink your team structure, operations, and technology. If you do things right, your business will always stay informed about customers\u2019 changing preferences and evolving needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to engage your customers is also a competitive advantage. Today, when thousands of companies crave your users\u2019 attention, you can\u2019t neglect the importance of a solid customer engagement strategy. So, what\u2019s your customer engagement plan then?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next paragraph, we offer you a list of ideas that can enhance your customer engagement rate and make users want to interact with your brand. Sounds tempting? Then off we go!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 customer engagement strategies to keep users involved <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. State the reason why your business is your mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe who has a why to live for can bear almost any how\u201d<\/em>, Friedrich Nietzsche once said. This is the ultimate truth that proves to be right for any part of our lives, including business. In the end, we all seek meaningful connections both with brands and people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason that made me put this tactic first on the list of customer engagement strategies is Simon Sinek\u2019s speech<\/a>, which literally opened my eyes to how companies inspire customers to buy from them. And it all goes down to a single bottom line, \u201cPeople don\u2019t buy what you do; they buy why you do it\u201d. So make sure your customers know your Why<\/em> and can see it throughout all your business decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, almost any message to your customers should have the following structure: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? + How? + What?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Customer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But you don\u2019t have to take Simon Sinek\u2019s and Friedrich Nietzsche\u2019s words at face value. Look at the statistics, 7 out of 10<\/a> customers prefer to buy from a brand whose values are aligned with their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action tip:<\/strong> create a website landing page where you clearly state your story, mission, and vision. Make sure that all your business decisions and messages correspond to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Personalize your service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Personalized customer service is all about engaging clients as individuals rather than customer segments. And truth be told, this approach heavily relies on technology. By leveraging collected data – the user path, conversation history, country, language, and preferences – you can offer customers a personalized approach tailored to their individual needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it important for clients?<\/em> More than you know. It\u2019s not just important but expected. 76%<\/a> of customers become frustrated when the interaction with a brand is not personalized. And a frustrated user is hardly the one willing to make a purchase. McKinsey and Company report shows that customers view personalization as the default standard of engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action tip:<\/strong> one way to provide consistent, personalized customer service is by adopting an omnichannel approach<\/em><\/a>. Omnichannel means that all channels you employ to interact with users are integrated into one platform, where the whole customer data is stored and can be easily applied whenever you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Provide written, graphic, and video helpful content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To build an effective customer engagement strategy, you have to go the extra mile and offer them content they find helpful and enjoyable to interact with. One thing you can\u2019t go without when talking about customer engagement strategies is the knowledge base, which is a preferred way of assistance for 91%<\/a> of respondents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the <\/em>knowledge base<\/em><\/a>?<\/em> It\u2019s a single repository of information about your product, service, and company. Write actionable articles covering the topics customers find challenging and add screenshots to help users quickly grab the best solution. Next time a client googles the answers regarding your offer, they will find your knowledge base content (if it\u2019s SEO-optimized \ud83d\ude09) and solve the issue in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t stop there. While helpful articles in your knowledge base is a great way to engage customers, there is much more that you can do. For instance, shoot videos! Like it or hate it, video content is 1200%<\/a> more successful than other content. Besides, almost 93% of brands say they got new customers due to the videos posted on their social media accounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create and post funny yet informative videos on your YouTube channel. That\u2019s one more way to increase brand awareness and customer engagement. Here is a quick overview of our company channel on the YouTube<\/a> platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though the number of subscribers is relatively small, we got over 1k views for our latest video and a few mentions on other social media channels with the link to our clips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Action tip:<\/strong> Create a knowledge base – you can do this with the HelpCrunch tool<\/a> – and offer actionable articles to users worldwide. Launch your YouTube channel, optimize content and share it on other communication platforms, including newsletters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Offer free goodies to first-time and loyal customers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to a \u2018Predictably Irrational\u2019<\/a> book by Dan Ariely, people do change their behavioral patterns when something free comes along. A free offer doesn\u2019t make us happy just because it costs nothing, but because it\u2019s a powerful emotional trigger. Very often, people buy things they don\u2019t quite need just to get a second item for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it\u2019s another technique to engage customers. And here I am not talking about loyal clients only, but also about first-time buyers. For instance, for the first purchase, you can offer one sample for free. There are many variations<\/a> of how to fulfill this strategy, so just pick and apply the one that suits your brand better. You can often see this approach at perfume boutiques, when buying a perfume you usually get 1-2 samples of other scents for free. Taxi brands also often provide discounts for first rides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of loyalty programs. They are equally important as they keep your satisfied clients in the loop and engaged for the next purchase. What can you offer as part of the loyalty program?<\/p>\n\n\n\n