I’m currently reading ‘Engagement Marketing: How Small Business Wins in a Socially Connected World’. This is a great read for someone who has no idea where to start when it comes to tackling the social media world.
Engagement marketing is not a new form of marketing at all. It has a new name, but the concept is that of the ‘old’ word of mouth. With the internet, however, word can spread around the globe. That’s why it’s important to understand this concept as it relates to your business. Whether traditional business owner or network marketer, understanding this concept will help you generate more leads for your business through the internet, which will ultimately lead to generating more revenue.
There are three steps to the Engagement Marketing Cycle – Experience, Entice, and Engage. I’ll share more in just a bit. The foundational piece to begin this cycle is getting people in the door to begin with in order to get the cycle started. This article is more of what to do once they get in the door.
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Provide an UNFORGETTABLE experience
The overall experience a customer has is the beginning of the engagement marketing cycle. The benefit of being an entrepreneur is that you can create a more personalized experience for your customers that large chains can’t compete with. You can create the type of intimate connections that larger companies can’t. When was the last time you went to a large chain, and someone said, “Hi (your name)! Where are (insert children’s names)?”
Creating that unparalleled experience from the time the customer walks in your door is a critical element to your engagement marketing cycle.
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Entice People to Stay In Touch (Listbuilding)
To keep your engagement marketing cycle going, you need to stay in your customers’ thoughts. There are several ways to stay in touch these days – social networks, email, and text messages to name a few. For this part, you’ve really got to step up your game and give your customer a reason to WANT to stay in touch with you. Email marketing and social media centered on your business are the two most popular ways to keep in touch nowadays.
The key to this is to not wait. You need to decide how you want to connect with people, and then entice them to connect with you DURING the business transaction or immediately after. Mind you, these are people who have already bought from you. These people are the ones who will most likely buy from you again – PROVIDED – they’ve had the unforgettable experience.
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Engage people (Keeping in touch)
Of the three steps, I think the engagement part is where most people have trouble. Some don’t want to seem too pushy; others are just flat out intrusive. Regardless, the one key factor in engagement is consistency. Determine how often you want to engage your client base, and do it consistently!
How do you engage your audience? You can share content that is educational or inspirational. Make it easy for your client base to leave a comment or share with their friends. Ask questions and ask for opinions.
This is a two way street though. When your customers take the few seconds out of their lives to ‘like’ or share a post, or leave a comment – RESPOND!
Remember – you are creating an environment the ‘big boys’ cannot. A major chain is not going to respond to Susie who had an issue with a return, but you will.
Knowing the three parts to the Engagement Marketing Cycle and understanding how to master each one will only boost your internet marketing efforts. Not only that, the internet side of your marketing will enhance your other marketing efforts as well. Being socially visible on the internet will help you provide ‘social proof’ – which helps people get to know, like, and trust you – and ultimately, do more business with you.
Keep Marching Forward,
LuSundra Everett
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