Vezign

Before paid advertising became popular and took over the marketing scene, there was word of mouth. Businesses relied on the recommendation of their customers in order to let their brand be known in the market.

But with the advent of paid advertising and its different forms: TV, print, radio and Web 2.0, word of mouth has been disregarded by a lot of business owners and chose to spend thousands, and even millions, on making sure that their brand name will be disseminated to a larger population.

What they don’t know is that this connotation is wrong. Investing on your customers’ emotions is better than investing money for some TVC that would air for a maximum of 60 seconds on TV and radio; a piece of paper that can be thrown anytime; and a website which can be clicked through without the customers even reading the content.

Customer engagement has been trending again because business owners finally realized that advertising alone cannot stand by itself. They should not end their efforts on reaching out to their customers that way

So what is customer engagement?

Customer engagement involves a high rate of interpersonal relationship with your customers. In order to touch their inner emotions and not just their curiosity, business owners should know how to communicate properly and listen to their customers’ needs.

In order to find out who your customers are, read on and understand how you can effectively engage with them.

• Determine your niche and reach out to your proper target market. If you are a clothing store that sells clothes and apparel for teenage girls, research on the new trends and what teenage girls like nowadays. When you create advertisements, make sure that the colors, design and text of your publication materials can make your target market look at your ads not just once, but twice. You can never find the right customers if you do not know your niche and expertise.

• Once you have the attention of your target market, don’t just let them go in and out of your store. Make them feel special and train your employees to always be warm and accommodating. Nothing irritates customers more than an employee that ignores them when they go inside a shop. Always remember to tap on positive feelings and never elicit negative ones at all costs.

• Before employing someone, make sure to train them with all your rules and regulations. The key word here is confidence. Make sure that all of your employees are confident when they entertain and assist your customers and that they know your business by heart. A customer likes a business whose employees know what they are talking about. It makes them feel assured that they are being served properly and that if ever they buy your product or hire your service, they are in good hands.

• Always pay attention to what your customers want to say. Never ignore comments and feedback. They are your greatest tools in order to improve your business. You will never grow and improve if you disregard your customers input. Another advantage of listening and acting upon certain suggestions is that your customers can see that you are taking them seriously. This will make them feel that their opinions are valued and that your business always put their customers first.

• Create a community where your customers can interact with each other under your supervision. If you are a book store, organize a storytelling activity in your community or a poetry or book reading event wherein your customers can join and talk to each other freely. This will build a sense of camaraderie among them and while doing this you can be assured that word of mouth about your business will spread out soon.

• If you are already using social media as a medium for reaching out to your customers, always make sure that your Facebook and Twitter accounts are always updated and that there is a person who can always answer inquiries and questions all the time. If you don’t answer quickly, your customers might think that you are ignoring them.

• Provide sales, discounts or special offers every once in a while. Have you ever wondered why loyalty cards have been released by big and small businesses alike? It’s because this kind of promotion helps in customer retention and loyalty. A businesses’ profit majorly comes from loyal customers and once you establish a relationship like that, engagement can help your customers feel satisfied and contented with what you have to offer.

Written by: vezign| Web Design & Marketingon July 27, 2011.

In: Customer Engagement, Marketing