In the world of marketing KPIs, engagement is sometimes overlooked – it’s not as glamorous as reach, and it lacks the immediate sales impact of the most recent conversion plays. However, engagement is essential for turning reach into conversion, moving customers through the funnel, building a connection, and convincing them to purchase goods.
That said, in this article, I will walk you through the basics of engagement marketing, how effective it is, and the different methods involved. Ready? Let’s go!
What is Engagement Marketing?
Engagement marketing is a marketing technique that sends targeted, relevant, and tailored content to current and prospective consumers chronologically. To put it simply, it is you, as a business, creating a bond with people through purposeful interactions over time.
For Example:
You signed up at a gym on your way to work, and on reaching the office, you get a thank-you, welcome-to-the-family sort of mail from the manager, Daniel. You think that’s all, but two weeks later, Daniel comes knocking again. Only this time, he’s informing you of unique plans and workout routines that are similar to the one you signed up for. Since Daniel hasn’t precisely been spamming you, and you find his emails purposeful, you keep reading his bi-weekly emails. Over time and through strategic interactions, Daniel has presented his services to you personally by studying your behavior as a customer.
How Effective is Engagement Marketing?
According to a survey by digital marketing experts, most Americans are exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 adverts every day. There’s an overload of information, and with traditional advertising, it’s increasingly getting difficult to retain current customers and reach new ones.
Many companies and marketers have touted the benefits of interaction marketing. One-third of marketers intend to devote approximately 50% of their budget to brand experience, whereas 59 percent of CMOs feel that brand experience boosts brand advocacy, and 90 percent believe that brand experience leads to more effective engagements. In that light, here’s why most businesses are tilting towards engagement marketing:
Dependable and Predictable
Engagement marketing is effective in that it is dependable and yields long-term results. While it may not generate immediate returns like fast-acting PPC advertising, it thrives because it is more reliable and predictable. Engagement marketing won’t just get people to buy from you; it will also get them to buy into your brand.
Increased Brand Loyalty and Awareness
By building brand loyalty, you won’t just have one-time customers; you will have repeat customers who openly advocate for your products and services. This is true because, according to research, building an experience that immerses your customers in your brand’s essential identity pays off handsomely, as 74% of customers are more likely to buy a product that was promoted with branded engagement marketing than other types of marketing.
According to another study, 50-80% of all word-of-mouth activity results from engagement marketing. This adds up since the more invested consumers are in your brand, the more likely they are to recommend you to their friends and family.
Increased Trust
Eighty-five percent of customers trust solutions they make after being shown many options, rather than just giving them a straight response.
Increased Clicks
More clicks are generated via engagement marketing. Compared to non-triggered emails, triggered emails have a 71 percent higher open rate and a 102 percent higher click rate.
Different Methods of Engagement Marketing
1. Customer Rewards and Incentives
Customers are loyal to companies that understand their demands and deliver on their promises. When you reward loyal consumers through loyalty programs, you send out a message that you value them, and this message also serves as an invitation to not-so-loyal customers.
Many companies create loyalty program management platforms to reward customers with points for each transaction as an engaging marketing strategy. These points are eventually exchanged for discounts on future purchases or something of value.
Customer Rewards and Incentives could include the following:
- Early entry
- Discounts
- Invitations to special events
- Gifts
- Surprises with unadvertised savings and so much more!
Personalized Content
Customers become more engaged and eager to take action once they know your brand and the value it provides. Even if your company has a modest approach, you should include cutting-edge technologies that bring you closer to your customers. For example, you may utilize Augmented Reality (AR) to provide users with a personal virtual tour of your products.
Customers like engaging, creative, unique, and instructive content from companies, so keep in mind that content is king when selling your products or services online. You can improve engagement and produce more leads and sales with the appropriate content.
When it comes to digital marketing, there are five primary phases in a customer’s sales process:
- Brand recognition
- Interest in your products and services.
- An evaluation of your company’s suitability.
- Engagement with your team or on your website.
- Making a buying commitment.
You may customize the materials people view when they revisit your website at each stage by monitoring their journey. The idea is to get them to the bottom of the funnel, where they’ll buy something and, perhaps, begin a long-term connection with your company.
Examples of personalized content include:
- Personalized emails
- Interactive quizzes
- Retargeted ads on social media
- GPS-Based Map Apps
Social Media Marketing
Popular social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are ideal for engagement marketing because they allow individuals to have direct conversations with companies. Strong social media engagement indicates that a company with an online presence is a major stakeholder in the market.
However, it’s not only about appearing popular; it’s also about building genuine relationships with existing consumers and prospects, which will help to increase your brand and ROI both on and off the internet.
Below are major metrics that are used to assess social media engagement:
- Shares or retweets
- Click-throughs
- Branded hashtags
- Comments
- Likes
- Number of followers and audience growth
- Mentions (either tagged or untagged)
You could also check a comprehensive list of social media metrics by Hootsuite and how to track them here.
If you are a bit short on social media marketing ideas, the following are creative post ideas you could adopt:
- Media upload contests
- Animated gifs
- Contests
- Polls
- Spotlighting customers
- Custom stickers or filters for Instagram Stories
- Asking questions
- “Ask Me Anything” sessions
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, of course. Since each company’s business objectives are distinct, each company’s social media strategy will be as well. So experiment till you find what works for you and stick with it.
Email Campaigns
Increasing customer engagement rates was the most important goal for 58% of marketers and the most significant barrier for 44% of marketers.
Because emails are delivered directly to your audience’s inbox, they are an excellent tool for engagement marketing. To maximize emails, it’s best to develop various inventive methods to get your email readers to interact with your mails, make a purchase, and share with others.
Sending a bulk email to every subscriber on your list was referred to as “email blasts” for a long time. Due to a stronger desire for individualized messaging that engages subscribers, it’s now a thing of the past. Yes, providing individualized messages to multiple segments of your subscribers may appear complicated, but how else do you deliver the appropriate message to the right person?
Below are proven means to increase customer engagement through email campaigns:
- Create dynamic content
- Personalize your emails
- Use email marketing automation
- Use powerful subject lines
- Use vibrant modern email designs
Corporate Events
Organizing corporate events is a promotional technique that incorporates face-to-face contact between businesses and their customers at events like conferences, trade exhibitions, and seminars.
Even in an increasingly digital environment, 95% of marketers still feel that live events give registrants a great chance to create in-person contacts. Also, 84% of event attendees say they have a more positive opinion about the company, brand, product, or service being promoted after the event. All these come together to show that physical events cannot be shrugged aside despite the increased reliance on digital engagement strategies. However, before you organize a corporate event of any sort, you might want to ask the following questions:
- Will it add value to the attendees?
- How will I keep them engaged during the event?
- What are my major touchpoints?
- What’s my event elevator pitch?
If you have adequate answers to the above, you might be ready to host a physical event to connect with your customers meaningfully and breed new prospects.
Conclusion
Brand activation is essential for every business. Without constantly coming up with tailored interactions through which your brand generates awareness and builds lasting connections with its target, you might as well be fighting a lost battle. However, by pitching your tent with UCON, you will get professional services and advice on planning and executing your engagement marketing strategies, especially corporate events such as trade fairs. Visit our website today to take your brand to the next level!
