Engaging your customers

One of the most popular topics talked about lately in the world of digital marketing is engagement. Achieve a deep relationship with customers it’s not a simple task; you need an extensive knowledge of your customers, their consuming habits, their internet habits, etc., to build up and understand what is their pattern of internet behaviour...what do they like? What do they look up on the internet? What do they read and write?

According to Matt Rhode, blogger from Socialmediatoday.com there are 5 considerations marketers need to bear in mind when aiming to achieve engagement with customers...

1. Be active: The web 2.0 provides us with the brilliant opportunity to interact with customers in a meaningful way. One of the many good ways in which we can use this for is asking customers their opinion. According to Rhode, asking customers their opinions in a personalised way makes them feel special and willing to stick around at the same time that the company gets good insights and useful information.

One important thing to take into account when applying this is the fact that as a company they need to reach customers instead of just waiting for customers to reach them. A website that is constantly updated and active brings much more traffic that one that doesn’t.

2. Make it accessible: The more exposure and simplicity for customers to post comments and responses the better.

One of the good uses that we can use this exposure, even though it sounds a bit scary, is giving customers a space to complain, Rhode suggests. The key to this, he explains, is to make sure that you have control over these comments. Dealing with customers complains sound difficult, but it is certainly better to receive them where companies have the rights to respond and learn from them.

3. Respond: Failing to comment or action after a customer has given you feedback, a comment, question or complain, is only a way to tell them that you care about their thoughts. In order to maintain customers interest and engagement companies need to make sure that they provide a helpful response to their customers comments, complains of petitions.


4. Deal with customers in public: Not all of your customers will be initially willing to talk to you, and they are even less likely to post their complains to you.

If companies make sure of keeping conversations available for other customers to see, the chances of getting feedback from new customers increases. “Respond, and respond publicly; this is where an online community can really pay dividends”

5. Engaging is NOT a campaign: If a company plans to use their interactive platform to push sales they need to rethink an understand and whole concept of engagement.

Being “pushy” and showing a clear intention to sell are things that will annoy customers instantly. Companies should focus on building a friendly atmosphere where people feel happy to comment in, without trying to sell them anything but sincerely trying to get to know them.