Strategic Engagement Strategies That Convert
I'm a marketing strategist, and I've spent my career helping companies of all sizes build better relationships with their customers. In fact, if you're reading this blog post on a screen of any kind—from your phone to your tablet to your desktop computer—there's a good chance it was designed by me or someone who works for me.
But the fact is that even though I've done some great work over the years, it hasn't always been easy to convince people that we should work together. Why? Because most businesses try to sell themselves by focusing on what they have instead of who they are—and as a result, their messages don't resonate with anyone but themselves.
Fortunately for us all (including me), there's an easier way: engaging with prospective customers in ways that help them understand why working with you matters more than anything else does.
Lead with a story
Tell a story that connects with your audience. A good story is one that resonates with people, clicks on an emotional level, and gets them nodding in agreement. If you can tell a story that shows how your product or service solves their problem—or at least piques their interest—you’ve got their attention.
Use a story to start a conversation. Stories are also great for keeping the flow of conversation going: Instead of asking boring questions like “How are you?” or “What do you do?” try starting the conversation with a relevant anecdote from your own life (if it's appropriate) or something funny that happened recently. This way, both parties feel comfortable sharing information without having to resort to small talk first!
Show off your personality through storytelling rather than just talking about yourself in an interview setting where there's no opportunity for follow-up questions except for maybe "Why did this happen?"
Even if someone doesn't ask about something specific but does want more information about what happened than just what was stated above all else should be considered personal experience as well as knowledge gained from other sources such as books articles etcetera which will make everything seem more real hence personalization based on those experiences won't make it feel forced at all -
Get to the point
We all have a tendency to ramble and use too many words. But in email, that doesn’t work. In fact, if you use longer sentences in your emails than you do in other forms of writing, people will start losing interest quickly. So keep it short and sweet:
Use clear subject lines that tell recipients what they can expect from the email
Use a clear call-to-action (CTA) asking recipients to take action and giving them a reason why they should do so
Keep the body of your emails concise so they don’t get cluttered with extra information or details
Make sure your conclusion is clear and concise as well—and don't forget to sign off!
Remember the three E's of engagement
Engagement is the holy grail of marketing, and there are three E's to remember when you're trying to get an audience to engage with your brand.
The first is emotional engagement: that's where your customers feel something about your brand emotionally. Does it make them feel good about themselves? Does it make them feel like they're part of a larger community? If so, then you've nailed emotional engagement.
Second is experiential engagement: this is where you get customers to interact with a product or service in some way. It could be through physical interaction (like playing a video game) or through online interaction (like posting on social media). When they interact with your product or service, they create an experience that they want to repeat again and again—that's experiential engagement!
The third E is environmental: environmental engagement happens when customers care about what kind of impact their actions are having on the world around them. If your brand supports environmentally friendly practices, for instance by recycling, using eco-friendly packaging materials and being carbon neutral—that's great!
Have an agenda and stick to it
When you're looking to utilize engagement to convert your audience on social media into paying customers, you have to have an agenda.
If you're just looking for more followers or likes, then sure, go ahead and post whatever it is that makes you happy. But if you want those followers and likes to convert into something more meaningful, then you need to be thinking about your content from the perspective of your audience and what they need from you.
Think about how many times people have told you: "I don't buy things from people I don't know." That's because buying products and services is a big decision. It requires trust—not only in the product itself, but also in the company that makes it and sells it. If someone's going to hand over their hard-earned money, they want to feel confident that they're getting a good deal.
This means that when someone engages with your brand on social media, they're giving you their attention—which is valuable time and energy that could be spent elsewhere. So if someone engages with your brand on social media (by commenting on a post or liking one), they're basically saying: "I'm interested in what this person has to say."
Be authentic and speak like a human
You can't fake authenticity. If you try to be something you're not, your audience will see right through it. You need to be yourself and speak like a human. This means being friendly and approachable; relatable; open to feedback and criticism; genuine; a good listener; and a good communicator—the kind of qualities that make people want to work with you!
What are some strategies for communicating in an authentic way? One thing is making eye contact with people when they talk to you or giving them your full attention while they're talking (even if their voice isn't that loud).
Another strategy is listening carefully—not just hearing what people say but reading their body language as well. When someone says something important about the topic at hand, don't assume you know all about it already; ask questions if necessary!
Finally, remember that communication requires two parties: both sides must speak up for there to be any understanding between them!
Have something new to say
Entrepreneurs and marketing teams have a lot on their plates, but it's important not to get stuck in a rut of saying the same thing over and over again. You should always be aware of what's going on in your industry, but also what is going on in the broader world around you so that your messaging is current and relevant.
And don't forget about your own company: if there are new products or services being rolled out, this is an excellent time for communication about them!
Listen, listen, listen
Listening is not just about hearing what the other person is saying. It's also about observing their body language, tone of voice and words—all of which tell you a lot more than they say.
Pay attention to your colleague's body language: Are they looking at you? Are they leaning forward? Or are they turned away from you and paying attention elsewhere? These cues can tell you whether or not the person is engaged in your conversation, and whether or not he or she will be receptive to whatever it is that you have to say next.
Listen carefully to their tone of voice too: Is it flat and monotone, indicating boredom or even disinterest? Is there a note of fear or concern in it (e.g., "When will this meeting ever end?")? Or does his/her voice sound animated—meaning that he/she likes what's being discussed and wants more information (e.g., "Tell me more about how this technology works!").
Finally—and perhaps most importantly—make sure that what comes out of their mouth aligns with their body language and tone; if someone says something positive but looks bored while saying it (or vice versa), then chances are they aren't being honest!
Remember: Successful engagement starts and ends with the people you're trying to reach.
People will not engage with you if they don't feel like you're speaking to them as individuals. And people will not engage with you if they feel like their voice is being ignored. So if you want a successful engagement rate, make sure you address your audience as individuals, and listen to what they have to say.
All too often, brands think that they can create engagement by pushing their message out to the world. While this is a good starting point, it's not enough to make your brand successful.
Successful engagement starts and ends with the people you're trying to reach. You have to know who they are, what they care about, what their pain points are and how you can help them. Once you have that information, you can build an engaging strategy around it that will resonate with your audience in a way that's personal, informative and relevant to them.
Conclusion
So, in a nutshell, that's what we've learned about engagement. It's not about you or your product; it's about the people you're trying to reach. Successful engagement starts and ends with the people you're trying to reach.
If you remember these five strategies—lead with a story, get to the point, remember the three E’s of engagement, have an agenda and stick to it, be authentic and speak like a human—you'll be well on your way toward converting more of your audience into loyal customers!