Customer engagement, simply put, is when your customers interact with you.

This is what we focus on when we help our clients. By revealing what’s true and great about them and sharing this with their target audience. That’s what marketing is all about.

Top Left Design is a small business, and we’ve been around for over 20 years.

So, we totally understand the joys and difficulties of running one. It’s how we relate easily to our clients.

We ourselves test and implement strategies that are easy to follow and create meaningful results.

Let’s start with some examples of how your customers could engage with you and your business.

6 examples of customer engagement

1. Through social media: Imagine if your network, existing customers and potential customers click “like”, follow you, and respond to comments and messages.
2. Buying your products or services: Obviously, the holy grail, if you find new and existing customers say “invoice me” or click to buy what you’re selling, that’s a definite win!
3. Providing feedback: If your customers give you feedback on their experience with you, either for your future testimonial content or to help you improve, that’s great! Plus by doing so, it shows that your customers/clients are valued.
4. Participating in contests or giveaways: If they want to win the freebie or bonus, it shows they like what you’re doing!
5. Attending events or webinars: If your clients or customers attend, participate, learn, and interact, they value your knowledge and want to learn from you.
6. Referring Others: Engage with the business by referring friends, family, or colleagues to try out the products or services, expanding the customer base through word-of-mouth recommendations.

Effective customer engagement strategies can help you foster a sense of connection, involvement, and loyalty, ultimately driving business growth.

In this guide, we will outline our customer engagement strategy specifically designed for small businesses / SMEs.

Read on to learn in more detail how you can encourage your audience to engage on social media, purchase your products and services, and advocate on your behalf, bringing referrals and other opportunities. And remember – we are here to help you implement, so don’t be afraid to ask for our support!

Step 1: Create a Captivating Online Presence

To engage your audience, start by establishing a captivating online presence. This includes:

Easier said than done:

• Design an appealing website: We know that’s something you need us to help you with, but you can have a go with tools like Wix (our favourite) or Squarespace (less user friendly in our experience. A visually appealing and user-friendly website should reflects your brand identity and showcase your products or services clearly!
• Develop an engaging social media presence: Choose the social media platforms that align with your target audience (we love LinkedIn and Instagram) and create compelling content that sparks conversation and encourages interaction.

Step 2: Offer incentives for social media engagement

Encourage your audience to engage with your SME on social media by providing incentives. Consider the following approaches:

Consider your touchpoints

1. Run social media contests and giveaways: Engage your audience by offering exciting prizes or exclusive discounts for liking, sharing, and commenting on your social media posts.
2. Create interactive polls and surveys: Invite your audience to participate in polls and surveys related to your industry or products, giving them a voice and showing that their opinions matter.
3. Webinars and online events: Host webinars or online events where your audience can learn valuable insights from industry experts or interact with your team. This provides an opportunity for engagement and knowledge-sharing.
4. Interactive quizzes and games: Create interactive quizzes or games related to your products or industry. This not only engages your audience but also helps educate them and keeps them entertained.
5. Exclusive content and sneak peeks: Offer exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes videos, sneak peeks of upcoming products, or early access to new features. This makes your audience feel special and keeps them engaged with your brand.
6. User-generated content campaigns: Encourage your audience to create and share content related to your brand or products. This can include contests where participants submit photos, videos, or testimonials. This not only increases engagement but also generates authentic user-generated content for your brand.
7. Interactive live Q&A sessions: Conduct live Q&A sessions on social media or through webinars where your audience can ask questions and interact directly with your team. This helps build a sense of community and provides valuable insights for your audience.

Implementing some of these ideas will help you create a diverse and engaging customer experience. You don’t have to do them all! The idea is choosing what feels right and easy to start with. The aim is to foster stronger connections with your audience and drive business growth.

Step 3: Provide exceptional customer service

Delighting your customers with exceptional service is key to fostering loyalty and encouraging engagement.

There’s a loop

We say this is step three, but it really needs to happen all along, when anyone responds to your other initiatives.

• Respond promptly and attentively: Reply to customer inquiries and feedback in a timely manner, showing that you value their input and are committed to their satisfaction.
• Personalise the customer experience: Tailor your interactions and communications to each customer, making them feel valued and appreciated.

Step 4: Implement a referral program

Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing by implementing a referral program. Here’s how:

Subheadings:

• Incentivise referrals: Offer rewards, discounts, or exclusive benefits to customers who refer new business to your SME.
• Simplify the referral process: Make it easy for customers to refer others by providing clear instructions and user-friendly referral systems.

Step 5: Offer exceptional products and services

To encourage customers to purchase your products and services, focus on delivering exceptional quality and value. Consider these strategies:

For example:

• Develop high-quality offerings: Continuously improve your products or services to meet and exceed customer expectations.
• Provide personalised recommendations: Tailor these based on customer preferences and previous purchases, making the buying process more convenient and tailored to their needs.
• Create a customer feedback loop to gather valuable insights and improve your products or services.
• Offer personalised recommendations and tailored experiences based on customer preferences and behaviour.
• Implement a customer loyalty program (like our TLD Loyalty Club) to reward and retain loyal customers.
• Host virtual events or webinars to educate and engage your audience.
• Collaborate with influencers or brand ambassadors to expand your reach and enhance customer engagement.

Step 6: Nurture customer relationships

Building strong relationships with your customers is essential for long-term engagement. Here’s how to nurture those relationships:

Simple ways to do this:

• Implement a customer loyalty program: Reward repeat customers with exclusive perks, discounts, or special offers.
• Regularly communicate with your audience: Stay in touch with your customers through newsletters, personalised emails, or informative blog posts, keeping them informed and engaged.

Don’t forget to measure

Undeniably, you’ll see soon enough that following these steps gives to chances to create a lasting connection with your audience, layer on awareness, and bring in all that engagement we as small businesses need to thrive!

Want help? Of course, you do! We can help you each step of the way, as it’s part of the consultancy we bake into any project we do.

Decide what your measurements of success are, and keep track of traffic and numbers through analytics. With Google Analytics and all the social media channels providing free stats, it’s easier than ever.

Remember to continuously evaluate and refine your strategy based on customer feedback and evolving market trends. With a customer-centric approach and professionally designed messaging, your SME can thrive and grow, even in this competitive business landscape.

We’ll happily chat to you about your specific needs, just book a discovery call (its complimentary) and we’ll help you, whatever stage you’re in.