5 Creative Ways To Increase Brand Engagement - Print Peppermint

5 Creative Ways To Increase Brand Engagement

Digital channels have opened a two-way communication between brands and consumers, redefining the dynamic between the two.

Whether on social media, their websites or even their physical locations, brands must invest in user/customer experience continuously as part of their brand strategy.

This in turn benefits them on various levels: From increasing brand engagement to increasing loyalty and advocacy.

Here are top 10 strategies brand should employ to increase audience engagement:

1. Ask For A Feedback

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Asking for feedback is a great way to engage your customers with your brand. It is also a chance to draw interest, build trust and increase loyalty by saying “your opinion matters to us.”

By asking your customers whether they are satisfied with the products or services you offer, or what their favorite topics are, you can also measure customer satisfaction.

There are several creative ways you can collect responses:

  • Live chat: Using this tool, you can ask your website visitors to rate your customer service.
  • Social media polls: Creating polls on Facebook and Twitter and posting surveys on Instagram Stories is a great way to collect valuable customer data.
  • Email: Sending simple emails and setting clear expectations will encourage your clients to leave a reply.
  • Feedback button: Adding a feedback widget on your website will help you generate responses without even asking questions.
  • Exploratory interviews: Reaching out to your customers directly will help you open conversations and establish meaningful relationships.
  • And more

The feedback you gather will not only help you attract your clients’ attention, but you will also be able to create a better experience, bring smarter decisions and increase customer retention.

2. Share Your Story

Incorporating storytelling in your branding strategy will humanize your approach and make your audiences more receptive to your message.

A real story will help you touch your clients’ feelings, build credibility, transparency and authenticity. And, it will allow you to stand out from your competition.

Here are a few tips that will help you successfully connect with your audience and clients:

  • Share your brand values
  • Create a unique voice and speak the truth
  • Include your experiences
  • Share your achievements but also your failures
  • Highlight your people

3. Host An Event

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According to Bizzabo, the most successful businesses spend 1.7x the average marketing budget on live events.

And 41% of marketers think that events are a more effective channel than email marketing and digital advertising.

Hosting an online event may take some time to prepare. However, the weeks and months you will spend on it are totally worthwhile, especially during a time like the COVID-19 crisis businesses face.

Whether it is offline or online, hosting a webinar, local meetup or a business seminar is a great way to engage your clients with your brand.

Such events will allow you to showcase your expertise and educate your audience about your products or services as well as build meaningful relationships.

They will make your business stand out, strengthen your community and build trust.

4. Share Exclusive Offers

Providing your clients with exclusive content like eBooks, case studies or product coupons and discounts will keep your audience engaged.

This will especially work for Gen Z clients.

As SheerID states, Gen Z puts great emphasis on being “in the know” which is why special offers will evoke fuzzy feelings.

In fact, gated offers make this generation feel:

  • 54% excited
  • 41% rewarded
  • 41$ special
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[Source: SheerID]

And the top five personal information that they would share for exchange of exclusive content include:

  • Email address
  • Date of birth
  • Full name
  • School
  • Mobile phone
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[Source: SheerID]

5. Partner With Influencers

Did you know that the football icon Christiano Ronaldo generated $500 million for Nike back in 2016?

Influencer marketing is a great way to influence your potential and existing clients to engage. People usually want to replicate the celebrities they admire and will follow their recommendations.

Thereby, if your budget allows, partner with influencers who are quite popular on social media and have a huge number of followers on the platforms where your audience hangs out.

They will help you reach your target market effectively and build winning relationships.

6. Build An Online Community

Giving your customers a place where they can share their thoughts about your products or services is a smart way to directly engage them with your brand.

This builds excitement and interest and makes them stay invested in what you offer.

Taking part in their discussions, answering their questions and giving them tips relevant to your industry will keep them updated.

This will increase your customer retention and turn them into brand ambassadors.

7. Show Who Are The Faces Behind Your Brand

One of the most effective ways to increase brand engagement is to build emotional connections with your customers.

People who use your products or services should know who they are dealing with. Your brand is not a faceless organization but there are humans behind it. So, you should show it.

Here are a few ways to do that:

  • Have a “Meet The Team” page on your website: Use team member images and short descriptions that will describe their roles in your company.
  • Introduce the team on social media: Show who makes your team and brand on social channels to leave a stronger impact.
  • Introduce yourself: Send personalized emails or direct messages to wish warm welcome when you get new social media followers or new community members.

8. Hold A Contest

Contests are especially beneficial for startup businesses since they can help them build their social media base.

Encouraging people to like and share your posts is attention-grabbing and will contribute your engagement to grow exponentially.

People enjoy getting free stuff, and they don’t mind participating if there is a possibility to get a reward.

You can ask them to share creative photos or write creative comments while tagging your brand in return for receiving your products or services for free.

Holding contests is also a great way to collect consumer data and it is still cost-effective.

9. Create Educational Content

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Instead of creating content that is too salesy, you should focus on educating your audience. This type of content builds trust, makes your consumers happier and increases brand engagement.

This includes posting how-to guides, tips and tricks, tutorials and more.

Here are a few tips that will help you create better education content:

  • Focus on quality: You should develop content with a purpose and make sure it provides value to your audience. It should be well researched as well as include relevant facts and stats.
  • Tell a helpful story: Your content should provide your prospects with a helpful experience that inspires and educates them. Once they read your blog or social media posts, they should leave your site with a key takeaway that is beneficial for them.
  • Make it actionable: This type of content not only explains what to achieve but also tells your audience how to achieve it. It is innovative and includes real-life examples, niche expert quotes, visuals as well as addresses the most common questions or issues.

10. Be Consistent

A useful rule of thumb when talking about increasing brand engagement is being consistent across all platforms.

Make sure you keep up a social presence and regularly share updates and news to stay fresh in your clients' minds.

The same applies to publishing content or email newsletters.

In addition, you should also be available for your customers and be ready to handle any questions and concerns that they might have.

So, keep a close eye on your social media mentions, reviews, comments and messages. Reply in a timely manner and be polite even when you face negative opinions.

Takeaways

Your prospects should always be at the forefront of your marketing strategy. To create meaningful relationships and engage them with your brand, you should go beyond the value of your products.

You should prioritize their needs and interests to be able to earn their loyalty and trust.

The above-mentioned steps will allow you to draw interest, provide your audience and clients with value and increase their satisfaction.

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