By nature, we are a consumer-driven society. We are fast-paced, with fast apps, and ultimately we make fast friends. The question is, though, how do we transition those friendships into relationships that stick? How do we bridge the gap from a prospective buyer, consumer, and user to a customer that keeps coming back, when there is plenty of other fish in the sea, so to speak?
The baseline of any relationship is communication and how you choose to engage in that conversation actively. Most importantly, when the focus is on flipping a passerby to a patron, your website and marketing should be your focus. Essentially, you want to date the consumer. But how do you get there?
The answer is that you first have to date the data .
Just as dating has evolved from a mere 15 years ago, so has the process of analysing data. We now can form an integral bond and trust by using resources that simply help you know your customer better. You are now able to grow those roots by identifying their preferences and ultimately getting a foothold on repeat traffic.
Here are five ways you can date your data, and enhance your customer engagement.
1. Show You Care
Don’t be afraid to get personal. Take into account the examples Amazon and eBay have set forth, and follow their lead. They have engaged their customer base by taking a proactive approach to your future purchases based off of prior activity. It is like shopping with your best friend that points something out, they know you’d like, while simultaneously using the assumptive sale approach.
A trickle-down effect is created, drawing the customer in and furthering that connection. The customer will come back because of the elevated approach of suggesting what a customer may need or want without them ever consciously thinking it. You will be able to create their personal blueprint by collecting data thru actions and behaviours, then delving deeper and studying those patterns.
You are able to customise your relevance to each customer, a key piece to this puzzle.
2. Listen and Communicate Clearly
One of the biggest expectations of consumers is the presumption that they have 24/7 access to help should they need it. The reassurance of knowing whether or not there is a live agent ready and waiting can be a deal breaker. Make sure your company provides that confidence of support, with the click of a button.
The upside of setting your website up for communication success is that you can streamline and manage the process from start to finish. You harness the ability to let your customers create their path, by being able to decide if they can fix it on their own or need interaction with a representative.
In the same respect, adding live chat software to your site allows you the advantage to track the interactions, pinpointing areas that need more guidance. There are multiple tools to drill down on areas that need to be honed in on, from customer satisfaction to resolution timeframes.
3. Consumable Advertising
Once you have engaged the customer, deciphered their specific data and prioritised carefree communication, you now directly market to their consumption. By utilising their data footprint, you can cater advertisements to their lifestyle. If you focus on their direct needs and respond to them via personalised ads, you are forming the bones to a repeat customer.
When you differentiate groups of customers that express the same demographics, you can break down their needs and target the ads appropriately. Not only does this boost your bottom line, but it increases engagement.
4. Anticipate the Future
Predictive analytics lends you the foresight to know their next step. You reap the benefits when you use the data that has been purposefully gathered. You can assess what is working and not working, by accessing the content to back each area up.
Is the experience easy, and consumer friendly? If not, where is the confusion coming in; the home page, the ordering process or fulfilment?
When you pay attention to the underlying information of each step, you are capable of providing a smooth and direct approach to bring in new business. It is vital and cost effective on your part.
5. Adapt to your surroundings
Be aware of your surroundings. Proper data retrieval will reveal cracks in the surface that need to be addressed, even if your operation is working smoothly in most places. Relying heavily on the consumer and their personal experience is imperative to improving, reach out and ask for their feedback. Listening and acting upon their response will strengthen current and future relationships.
It is all too common to let muscle memory kick in once you have the customer engagement, and become complacent in business practices. Adapting only serves to help you, and is extremely important. When you grow with the change in technology, you also grow with the consumer, specifically when you take advantage of the data that is readily available to you.
If you set yourself up with the right tools, and you date the data as a whole, you naturally hold their attention and business ‘in addition to attracting potential customers.