How to Make Customer Engagement a Priority in Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Not only does transformation allow businesses to break down silos and tap into precious customer data, but it also helps them create better diagnostics for faster remediation of issues, making the customer journey as seamless as can be. Furthermore, there are plenty of opportunities for personalisation, and for delivering instant, real-time experiences to increase the sales transaction.

But in order to get the most out of transformation, brands must be able to connect with audiences across multiple touchpoints.

These days, customers don’t just want to engage on one platform. Instead, they expect to have the same brand experience across various platforms, from email and contact centres to social media and instant messaging.

Having great customer engagement increases customer loyalty and trust, and more importantly, it improves the overall customer experience (CX) – turning fairweather shoppers into loyal supporters, or even better, brand advocates. If you want to ramp up engagement in 2022, here are some ways to do it:

Have a multi- or omni-channel approach

As mentioned, seamless communications across more than one platform are key for customer engagement. If a customer interacts with you on the phone, they expect the same level of service and care on Facebook or Twitter.

Being responsive is essential if you want to have that authentic connection with customers. It’s no good having multiple social media pages if nobody is looking after them and talking to customers. Reply to questions and comments, encourage sharing and liking, and try to have a consistent personality across the different platforms.

Leverage CX with digital tools

To really understand the power of digital in engaging with customers, it’s important to look at how customer experience (CX) can be heightened through digital tools and features. For instance, chatbots provide an additional way to answer customer queries, making it easier to reach resolutions while also reducing the workload of your human support team.

Designed to deal with out-of-hours queries or simple queries, bots can alleviate issues and make customers feel valued in their buying journey. There’s also research to suggest that a large number of customers prefer interacting with automated systems over human advisors, showing the importance of embracing convenience measures for those who are time-poor, on the move or just in a rush.

Of course, there’s a time and place for bots and automation. Having a human contact centre is still as important, and not all queries are suited to chatbots. Customer demographics may play a part in what communication tools/methods people choose to use too – so consider your audience. A study shows that 2 out of 5 millennials think chatbots do a better job than human representatives, while that’s only true for 1 in 5 people from older generations.

Make your customer engagement personal

There are a number of ways that businesses can personalise their marketing to meet the needs of customers. Whether you send personalised offers in emails, or you opt for smart content load for your website design, the stats are pretty positive.

People are more than twice as likely to add items to their basket (and 40% more likely to spend more money with a company) if their experience is personalised.

Gather customer feedback

One of the biggest advantages of digital transformation is data, data, and even more data. However, there is such a thing as data overload. If you want to tap into actionable data to support your customer engagement efforts, make sure you find ways to gather feedback.

You can send out surveys or ask customers to share their thoughts on social media or get them to leave a review. By asking for feedback, you are being proactive in gathering important information about your products or service.

Be prepared for both positive and negative feedback, and see any negatives as an opportunity to improve what you’re doing. If you receive poor reviews on social media or review sites, make sure you time the time to respond and try to rectify any issues. This shows a genuine desire to improve and can help to increase your credibility and trustworthiness.

Reward customers for loyalty

Customer loyalty programmes can be a great way to turn casual shoppers into loyal customers who stick around. There are many ways you can reward customers for their time and support – including loyalty cards and points cards, rewards for sharing product photos on social media, competition entries and prizes for reviews, tiered loyalty programmes, paid loyalty programmes (such as paid VIP membership), and customer referral discount schemes.

As many as 84% of customers say they’re more likely to stay with a brand that offers them loyalty points or rewards – with two-thirds admitting that loyalty schemes often influence their spending behaviour.

By thanking your customers for repeatedly interacting with your brand, you are showing them that they are valued and encouraging them to shop with you again in the future instead of going to a competitor. This increases the chances of continued customer engagement, something we know can quickly drop off after the initial purchase in today’s fickle shopping landscape.

This is why rewards should be considered in every digital marketing strategy, whether you are in retail or B2B. In the time of digital transformation, customers can jump ship thanks to the incredible amount of choice. By engaging with them and creating a deeper connection, you can boost loyalty and retention, getting you one step ahead of competitors.

Do you need help with your digital marketing strategy?

At Identify Digital, we can provide a range of services to fast-track your transformation journey – including web design, app design, content creation, and more. Get in touch to speak to our team.