How to Increase Customer Engagement and Boost Sales

Successful businesses understand one very important thing: the relationship between a customer and a business must go far beyond the point of sale interaction. These days, customers expect much more and keeping your customers' interest and loyalty is an ongoing process of engaging with them. 

Why is customer engagement important?

Customer engagement is important because it can directly impact your revenue. For example, the more customers who leave you positive reviews, the more new customers you can attract. Similarly, the more return visits you can get from casual customers, the more you will increase their value and your profits as a result.  Achieving these positive results all come down to using the right strategies to build stronger relationships with your customers. 

Customer Engagement Strategies 

Continually engaging your customers might sound like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve put together some in-person and digital customer engagement strategies that are simple or can be automated to save you time. 

1. Incentivize customers to return with promo cards. 

Getting customers back in the door can be as simple as offering them a discount on their next purchase. 

Why does it work?
Promo cards are essentially gift cards with an expiration date, which allows you to create buying urgency. They’re great to give out during periods when your sales are high as a way to bring customers back during periods when your sales are slower.

How to do it right:
During the holiday season, you could offer “$5 towards your next purchase over $50” valid through January. 

2. Offer something of value on social media.

Regularly posting on your social media pages is a great way to increase awareness of your business — but that alone doesn’t always cut it. Think about tactics that actively engage your followers by offering them something in return for an action you want them to take. Contests are a great way to do this. 

How to do it right:
Keep it easy and simple, for example, “Tag 3 friends for a chance to win a gift card” or “Share our story for a chance to win a gift card.” 

Why does it work?
A gift card giveaway is a small price to pay for staying top of mind with your customers and gaining exposure among new customers. Plus research shows that whoever wins the gift card could spend an average of $59 more than the card’s value.

3. Communicate through the right channels.

One of the most important parts of customer engagement is ensuring your message makes it to your customer. This might sound like a no-brainer, but getting customers to take notice and take action is a big challenge for businesses.

How to do it right:
Sending offers to your customers through email and text message allows you to reach them in a one-on-one sense.  You’ll just have to make sure your customers have opted-in or signed up to receive your communications.  Offering customers the option to sign up for a loyalty program is one of the easiest ways to get their consent because they receive exclusive benefits as a result.

Why does it work?
Text message marketing is one of the most effective ways to ensure customers see your message because 82% of people say they open every text they receive. 54% of people say they would prefer to receive promotions via text message. However, only 11% of businesses currently send text message offers which means you could gain a major competitive advantage if you start using this channel.

4. Personalize your offers. 

I’m sure most of us agree that some of the most persuasive communications are the ones that are personalized to us. Sending the right message at the right time means that your customers are more likely to engage with your offers. 

How to do it right:
Sending customers personalized communications can be effortless if you use the right tools. With automated marketing tools, you can send offers to customers at key moments like birthdays or when they haven’t visited in a while, without having to do any manual work.

Why does it work?
Because 82% of people say personalized offers increase how often they shop with a brand, adopting this style of customer engagement will help you gain more loyal, frequent customers. 

5. Launch a customer loyalty program. 

We’ve mentioned loyalty programs in some of the points above because they’re one of the most effective ways to increase how often your customers visit and how much they spend. 

Why does it work?  
A loyalty program gives casual customers more reasons to buy from you because they get something in return. Offering your customers perks will boost your transaction sizes because 65% of loyalty members spend more to maximize their points. 

How to do it right:
These days, loyalty solutions, even ones for small businesses, offer a lot of features to engage your customers. A good loyalty solution will give you the ability to automate your offers and communicate with your members via email and text message.  These are both key features to look for in a solution because while a loyalty program is great, it won’t do you any good if your customers forget they are members. 

6. Use reviews to your advantage — the good and the bad.

It’s important to pay attention to reviews, not only because they influence how potential customers view your business, but because they can help you identify opportunities to retain customers you might be at risk of losing. 

How to do it right:
Ask your customers for reviews on social media and google, or even better, send messages to your loyalty members asking for a review in exchange for a special offer. Monitor your reviews, and if you identify an unsatisfied customer, try offering them a promo card or discount to encourage them to give you another chance. 

Why does it work?
Reviews are like the online version of word of mouth marketing. People actively seek them out when doing their research, they help you acquire new customers, and they can make or break your business. 

Customer engagement has come a long way in recent years, particularly the tools available for small businesses. Automated communications and loyalty programs are not just for big brands anymore.

If you want to learn more about how easy it is for your business to engage your customers, check out our engagement software solutions.