Brand Engagement – the result of an integrated approach

Brand Engagement is the holy grail for most marketers involved in brand building. When you’ve captured the customer relationship you have them envolved and engaged at multiple levels.  Brands live in the interactions between customers, advertising, online presence, product and sales teams. This also applies to B2B relationships. It’s not just technology and product. You have to connect at all levels between decision makers and those who use the products.

The problem with so many B2B companies and online-based companies is a total lack of connection. The key to customer engagement is building relationships. Here are some simple tips to pay attention to that I think smart companies such as Apple and Cisco really understand:

1) Know what your customers’ needs are – way too many companies don’t spend the time to figure out what customers need or present their offerings from an internal perspective to the customer. Who cares? Customers are too busy to focus on you. They will only focus on you when you say something relevant that serves them.

2) Remind customers of what they need to know – consistently reminding customers of what helps them solve their problems is great even if they aren’t buying from you right now. They will get it whether it’s Amazon alerting you that the latest book in a topic you love is in, or Apple saying they can solve your backup problems with a new version of Time Machine. Keep their interests in mind.

3) Always keep your brand visible – Keep your brand in front of your audience. Support the customers’ needs, be there for them.

4) Associate your brand with a good customer experience – When you solve their problems and get good reviews make sure you spread the word. Use your brand and make it the hero, share testimonials, broadcast to new customers and future customers.

5) Solve problems – That’s the core of the brand relationship with customers. Customers only care about you providing them a solution to a problem they recognize. That’s what they will remember. So pay attention to their needs, what they want and what they want to do.

6) Don’t beg for sales – Offer what matters to your customers – don’t ask them for anything. Why bother? They will just tune you out.

7) Show (and brand) your successes – Every success is a story that’s relevant to your audience. Let them know about it!

8) Keep in touch – without overwhelming customers. This is a role that social media can fulfill. It creates visibility and polite reminders. Any way you can provide value to the customer is an ongoing connection to them. Just keep it up, with permission from them.