Engaging your customers with the right message
New Year, new customers and new ways to communicate!
While the year has a new name, the importance of upping your communications game and staying in the forefront of your customers’ minds remains the same.
Communicating with your existing customers and potential new ones in 2024 is still about crafting connections, educating your audience on your services and providing entertainment along the way, while maintaining authenticity the whole way through.
Ready? Here are five ways to dial up your customer communications in 2024:
1. Listen and learn
Before telling your customers what you think they might want to hear, ask first.
Run a short survey with thoughtfully asked questions on the key aspects of your offerings, monitor the general vibe on social media and grab a brew and a one-on-one conversation with a few of your clientele.
Ask your loyal followers for a Google review – not only will this boost your social appearance and authority, it will help you understand what is working well.
Tuning in to the needs and wants of your people is the first step to providing effective communication that is going to resonate with your audience.
2. Tell stories
Everyone loves a good story.
Your customer is the main character in your brand’s choose-your-own adventure novel — it’s time to weave captivating narratives that take your audience with you on this magical journey!
Explain what your business does and how you do it through engaging and entertaining stories, use analogies to clarify the trickier parts of your business and don’t forget the golden rule of storytelling – it’s not about you!
Share the benefits of what you provide in a way that your customers will engage with – you’ll know what this is from your listening phase.
3. Be authentic
In a world influenced by polished perfection, authenticity is the secret sauce that sets you apart from the crowd.
You don’t have to be flawless – embrace your quirks!
Share behind-the-scenes action, when you speak to the camera, use your normal voice and when you write, use your own words to remind your customers you’re real!
Authenticity builds trust, fosters connection and transforms customers into your biggest fans.
4. Experiment with different platforms
From the listening phase, you should have an idea of how your customers receive your information and where they hang out online.
While platforms are your jumping off point to communicate with your clientele, it’s also worth trying other avenues to attract new visitors to your business.
If you know that Facebook is where your people reside, look to Instagram to reach a new audience.
Are your clients LinkedIn? Try repurposing snippets of your best performing posts on Threads and X (Twitter).
Use a variety of methods to funnel your customers back to your website for more information and to purchase and focus on your best performing apps – you may not need or have the resources to do them all.
5. Build your community
Successful companies build a solid community of loyal followers to increase brand awareness, get to know their customers better and increase sales.
Create welcoming online spaces where your customers can connect, collaborate, and celebrate your offerings together.
Host live Q and As, foster meaningful discussions on your social media channels and launch exclusive membership offerings to bring people together in support of your brand.
So with some active listening, compelling storytelling, authenticity, a little experimenting and some bringing people together, your customers will be better informed of your offerings, you’ll stand out amongst your competitors and you can enjoy an increase in engagement with your brand in 2024.
Jeremy O’Connell is a Gold Coast based marketing and communications specialist helping businesses increase their brand awareness and customer engagement.
Let’s chat! Drop me a line.