The marketing industry is fluid. It never stops changing and evolving. And arguably, a good marketer’s job is to stay ahead of the curve, to predict trends before they happen, and to give their clientele the best possible chance of standing out.
If we look back merely a few years, the quality of a product accounted for almost 100% of a consumer’s buying decision. Of course, marketers could still make products more enticing with a snazzy website or big discounts, but for the most part, consumers often had an easy decision when choosing which product to buy (often with well-known brands winning out).
Fast-forward to 2021 though, and the thought process that goes into a buying decision has most certainly changed. Of course, product quality is still important, but consumers now factor in far more variables when assessing which brand they should choose.
Today’s business market is teeming with brands all selling thousands of similar, high-quality products and services, all of which have a kick-ass website, slick marketing teams, and offer regular discount schemes.
In 2021, brands simply must do more to differentiate themselves, or they risk being left in the dust. They must utilise brand engagement.
So, what exactly is brand engagement?
Brand engagement is the process of building and sustaining an emotional connection to a brand from its consumers. It’s far more than just brand awareness, encouraging interaction between brand and consumer through a variety of channels that can lead to both loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
Your customers no longer want a bare-bones browse to purchase brand experience, favouring brands with personality and culture that offer something of value beyond their products and services.
This value could come in the form of personalised and targeted messaging that could help build long-lasting relationships with customers, or maybe through nurturing your brands culture, customers could start to feel like they’re becoming a part of a community when they purchase a product.
There’s a multitude of options to consider when looking to build your companies brand engagement, and when done effectively it can quite simply give your brand a leg up on its competition.
Brand Engagement done right – Seek Discomfort
Seek Discomfort, a clothing brand designed by the founders of popular YouTube channel ‘Yes Theory’, is a perfect example of brand engagement done right.
Launched in May 2018, Seek Discomfort is far more than just a clothing brand for its customers, ‘serving as a badge of honour that connects you with like-minded Seekers around the world’.
What we like about Seek Discomfort’s brand engagement:
Seek Discomfort’s brand engagement is far more than just a marketing stunt with the goal of increasing sales. It’s clear from the outset that the brand has a passion for helping people to live a more fulfilled life, and it’s clear that this is also felt by their customers.
Through purchasing Seek Discomfort clothing you are not just buying something to wear, you are buying into a lifestyle, and in-turn can meet like-minded people and spread the Yes Theory mantra yourself. You are part of the community. A community which has over 150,000 people actively engaged and spreading their stories on the ‘Yes Theory Fam’ Facebook page. Pretty impressive stuff!
Based on this guide, the benefits of utilising brand engagement are pretty clear.
Brand engagement is one of the more pressing issues for marketers today because brand engagement highlights why marketers market.
If you want to get new leads, convert them into customers, instil brand loyalty, and then make them brand ambassadors, you’re gonna need to engage them.
In a world where you can no longer rely on catchy jingles or ‘in your face’ marketing tactics, businesses must be ‘always-on’, ready to take the chance to engage with customers any place, anytime.
This all sounds great, right? But how on earth do you get started?
Well, you’ll be delighted to know that there are plenty of simple things you can do that will positively affect your brand engagement.
Here’s three simple things to get you started…
3 simple tips to improve your brand engagement
Building a brand voice:
As mentioned earlier in the guide, customers now want more than just a browse to purchase brand experience. To build long-lasting relationships with customers you need to interact with them one way or another, and that requires a brand voice.
Brand voice is a brilliant way of establishing a personality for your company and can make your brand relatable and memorable to its customers.
Brand voice has become increasingly important on social media as brand transparency increases in importance in the eyes of consumers.
Create a great customer experience:
This one sounds incredibly simple and that’s because it truly is. If you want people to engage with your brand, forget any complex strategies, and make sure your first priority is to create a great customer experience. Start by mapping out all the ways in which customers can interact with you brand and see where you can improve.
Utilise conversational marketing:
As the world of digital has continued to evolve, consumer expectations have adapted. Consumers now expect interaction with brands whenever and wherever it suits them. If a consumer wants to talk to someone about a product (whether that be a bot or person), they expect answers in minutes (not within 24 hours) and the quality of this conversation can greatly impact repeat purchases and subsequently positive engagement.
If you found this blog post helpful, then why not check out another one?
Our last blog post here at BETTER Marketing was on Why your business needs crisis communications.
Thanks for reading.
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