Engagement is one of the most important things that you can do to build a connection with your audience. It's not as simple as it seems, though. You need to know what kind of engagement you want and how you can use it to drive sales or just connect better with your customers. In this article I'll explain what engagement is and why it matters for building connection with your audience.
Engagement is more than selling
Engagement is about more than just selling the product you have. It’s about building relationships, trust, community and a brand. It allows you to connect with your audience in a way that is meaningful, authentic and has real value for them. Engaging with your customers means having conversations with them where they feel heard, understood and respected.
Engagement also means being there when they need you most: when they want help or advice; when they need support; when something goes wrong or someone else says something unfair about their needs.
Engagement is the fuel that drives social media
It’s the measure of how much your audience cares about what you’re doing, and it’s a two-way street. Really engaged audiences share their opinions and thoughts with you in the comment section, which helps them feel like part of something bigger than themselves. They also signal to other people that they should engage with your content as well.
Engagement is a great way to understand who your brand advocates are (those who are likely to support or promote it) and what type of content resonates most with that group.
Your engagement level tells you how well you are connecting with your audience
To measure engagement, you need to look at the number of people who have interacted with your content. This includes:
Engagement can be fun, even quirky
If you're anything like me, you enjoy a good pun. And if you're anything like me, then there's a good chance that your audience—your client base—is on the same page. Engagement doesn't have to be stuffy or serious; it can be fun and quirky, even.
Engaging with your audience and clients is an excellent way to get to know them better and make sure they know that they matter to you in some way (and ideally, every other day). It's also an opportunity for some self-reflection on what makes engagement different from other forms of marketing:
Engagement requires effort
Engaging with your audience requires time and effort. It’s not something that can be done in one shot, or even over a few days. You need to be proactive in engaging with your audience, which means dedicating time every day (or week) to stay present and available for engagement. If you aren’t present, they will wonder what happened while they were waiting.
Your audience will give you feedback if you reach out and listen
As a business, you will never know what your customers want unless you ask them. It’s important to listen to feedback and respond accordingly.
You can do this in the comments section of a blog post, or by directly asking for feedback via email or social media.
Once you start actively seeking out feedback from your audience, make sure that you take their suggestions seriously! Do not ignore the fact that someone has given you an opinion about your product or service just because it wasn't exactly what they expected.
It's no secret that engagement can be a challenge for small businesses. But if you're willing to take the time to craft an authentic, genuine connection with your audience, it will pay off in ways you never imagined.