Customers are much more active and demanding than ever before. Knowing and understanding them is vital for every business. And this is where customer engagement comes to the rescue.  

Let’s get back to basics for a few seconds. Customer engagement strategy involves using various channels to develop and strengthen the relationship between a business and consumer.  

Why is customer engagement so meaningful?  

Brands like Trader Joe’s, IKEA, Apple, Starbucks, Zappos, GoPro, CrossFit have a cult-like fan following. The common factor between these brands is their consistent customer engagement.  

Things did not change from low to high overnight for these firms. It’s a long-term game. Relationships can develop with baby steps once the audience warms up to you. 

Here’s a quick look at benefits offered by customer engagement:  

• Shorter purchase cycles  
• Better customer relationships  
• Better customer retention percentage  
• Increase in customer trust and loyalty  
• Offers valuable customer feedback  
• Increases sales funnel velocity 
• More cross-selling and upselling opportunities  
• Helps create a group of loyal brand evangelists 
• Increase in email subscribers 

We are not here merely to discuss the meaning and benefits of consumer engagement. Let us guide you with ways for improving consumer engagement in 2021:  

1. Personalized experiences  

Check Amazon’s personalized product recommendations. Netflix and Hulu also have a lesson or two on using behavioral data for improving engagement. Such a meteoric rise in personalization has changed the game altogether.  

Expecting results from impersonal marketing is as good as betting on a slow horse.  

Studies have pointed out that more than 70 percent of consumers prefer to engage only with personalized messages. Thus, your consumer engagement strategy should include the same. 

The best way to delight consumers is by analyzing their behavioral data. Show content based on the shopper’s buying history to score a quick win. For one-on-one experiences, ask consumers what they want.  

Can customer experience work in your favor even in the post-COVID-19 era? Yes, PwC’s research suggests 86 percent of shoppers won’t mind paying more to brands that offer great CX.  

Another study published by Hubspot highlighted that 93 percent of consumers prefer making repeat purchases from businesses that offer excellent CX.  

2. Loyalty programs  

A sure shot way to create a stronger bond with consumers is by offering loyalty programs. Points-based and tier-based loyalty programs ensure every interaction between the brand and customer adds value. Such initiatives make consumers feel they are getting more than what they are investing in the brand.  

Loyalty programs use the FOMO, the fear-of-missing-out factor. Shoppers feel they will miss out on the rewards if they don’t shop. Customers keep coming back. A loyalty program boosts long-term engagement.  

Besides consumers, brands can also put in place a channel loyalty program. It helps in strengthening relationships with trade partners. Such initiatives can transform your firm’s transactional relationships with sellers into an emotional connection.   

3. Push-notifications for better engagement  

Some consumers subscribe to push notifications (browser and app-based). These enable brands to send short messages or pop-ups.  

Push notifications are a superb way to inform the customers about events, newly launched products, special discounts, etc.  

It’s an excellent way to keep customers engaged with the brand. Keep on reminding them about what you have in store for them.  

Companies can use app-based or desktop/mobile browser-based notification pop-ops for this purpose. A loyalty program application-based pop-up notification can be a great way to reach out to consumers with a compelling offer.  

Do consumers opt-in for such messages? Yes, those looking for personalized offers subscribe to receive notifications.  

For best results, create a compelling message for your consumers to click and complete the intended action. Divide recipients into groups. Target them with messages that will be of interest to them.  

Studies suggest roughly 32 percent of users prefer disabling push notifications if they start receiving more than five each week. So, bombarding people with too many messages does not work.  

4. Sharing consumer data with every team  

The sales or marketing team might fail to contribute towards customer experience due to a lack of access to data.   

Sharing access to customer info assists in creating informed customer interactions at all levels.  

Personalized messaging is possible only if there’s enterprise-wide customer understanding. For example, in escalation cases, the associate level employee should know the steps a manager can take to solve a customer’s problem.  

All the internal teams can provide value if they remain on the same page. It increases customer confidence in the firm, and they feel valued.  

Your organization can expect the least miscommunication and enhanced cross-functional problem solving with shared customer understanding.  

Customers always get the feeling of interacting with committed and informed team members.  

5. Use marketing engagement strategy  

You can create such a marketing engagement strategy focusing on your consumers’ needs throughout their buying journey.  

Identify the critical steps in your target audience’s purchase journey and add a touchpoint to reach customers.  

You can build customer loyalty by providing helpful information for a positive experience at each touchpoint. Developing content that supports the buyers can serve two purposes. It boosts engagement and creates positive brand perception.  

The resourceful content should focus on how it can help the target audience and solve business challenges. For the best possible impact on customer interaction, craft the marketing content strategically. Choose an appropriate outreach channel depending on the demographic.   

Most appreciated ways to measure consumer engagement  

Measuring the outcome is crucial. After all, the organization dedicates precious resources and time to consumer engagement.  

Every business might have a different definition for engagement, depending on the goals. But, the metrics for the following activities can give you a good idea of the level of consumer engagement: 

• The NPS (Net Promoter Score) 
• Pages per session  
• Newsletter open rates  
• Average order value  
• Repeat purchase percentage 
• Purchase frequency  
• Social interactions  

Are you developing a customer engagement strategy from step 1? If so, you should consider starting with an app-based loyalty program.