Especially in the digital age, when you study how brands are managed one word comes up over and over again: Engagement. It’s a fundamental concept and major brands devote considerable resources to it. But, what exactly is engagement? How do you attain it? And, most of all, how do you monetize it?
Understand the Meaning
Simply put, brand engagement is the process of developing an attachment between a consumer and a brand. Ideally, that attachment is solidified with positive emotional associations.
Brands form that indispensable connection by interacting with their customers at a range of touchpoints — places the two parties come into contact – such as in retail environments, online, when viewing advertisements, or when they receive or use a product or service directly.
Set a strategy for engagement that is based on a clear purpose that results in a passion for your brand. Then, establish a process for building attachment.
Delight at Every Touchpoint
Every touchpoint interaction is an opportunity for brands to create a positive experience for their customers. Over time, those encounters add up, associations are formed, and an emotional and rational attachment emerges. The customer is no longer just idly interacting with the brand, they are actively engaged and have strongly held beliefs and expectations about it.
So, make sure every touchpoint delights your audience and every effort put forth by your brand lives up to the expectation of the consumer.
Adjust to the Signals
Thanks to the pervasive use of dashboards to track online activity, engagement today is often boiled down to a collection of well-defined metrics like views, time-spent, clicks, likes, shares, and comments / or feedback. That information is unquestionably useful and helps brands better understand how their customers feel about them and whether brand engagement efforts are making the right impression and serving the ultimate purpose: sales.
All of these metrics offer valuable insights as you strategize on ways to move your target audience through the engagement process, or through the marketing funnel. Carefully monitor all of these signals and adjust your engagement efforts to make sure you’re not losing attention or leaking engagement at any level of the funnel.
Ensure Meaningful Connections
Clicks and shares are nice. Comments and interactions are helpful. However, the truest measure of brand engagement doesn’t happen when customers click their mouse to show you appreciation; it occurs when they commit to spending money on your brand. When a customer is truly engaged with a brand and has enough good experiences to build a strong and durable attachment they vote with their hard earned dollars.
Companies with strongly engaged customers have proven their worth over so many touchpoints that their fans all but take their brand promise as a given. They know what they are getting and they are happy to pay for it. You can’t ever underestimate the importance of that level of connection. Make sure at the point of purchase and beyond, you deliver in spades with a brand experience that ensures total satisfaction.Better yet, aim for an experience that drives ongoing brand loyalty and advocacy. Remember, it is much easier to maintain a customer than it is to attain a customer. Always keep that in mind and you’ll reap those benefits for years to come.
Pay close attention to every level of interaction with your customers if you want to drive brand engagement that ultimately impacts your bottom line.
Are you satisfied with your brand engagement strategy? Try our Full Funnel Marketing Tool and take a closer look at how you can build strong connections with your customers at every stage of the buying process.