How to engage your audience?
As we have discussed, inbound marketing can be complicated. Last week, we discussed how you can attract your audience. We did this because the flywheel shows three major areas of inbound marketing. Those three areas attract, engage, and delight. As promised, this week we are diving deep into the engage portion of inbound marketing. In order to engage your audience, you have to know what that is, and what it looks like. By engaging your audience, you are presenting insights and solutions that align with their pain points and goals so they are more likely to buy from you.
Grab Their Attention
The key to engaging your audience is communicating and dealing with leads and customers in a manner that leads them to want to build long-term relationships with you. This is not intended to be manipulating. For example, we have worked with and consulted a local wig shop, the shop struggled to find how to engage their audience without making it seem as though they are trying to manipulate or take advantage of vulnerable and often sick women. However, it is possible to have one present and the other absent. It is all in the way, it is communicated.
When engaging an audience, you grab their attention, find their need, present how you can fulfill that need, and then convince them of it. Tools that hubspot recommends when it comes to engaging your audience are as follows; lead flows, email marketing, lead management, conversational bots, and marketing automation.
Present How to Fulfill Their Need
Email marketing is such a useful tool, for all companies. Did you know that 82% of companies use email marketing? Email marketing can be done in a lot of different ways. The email can be newsletters, coupons, new items, or interactive by quizzes, wheel of fortune, etc. Tues is found to be the best day of the week to send emails.
Engaging your audience is done by creating relationships with them through communication. That is what is most important to learn from here. The people in this position of communication whether it be through the phone, website, or email- they need to be able to answer confidently for the company, not only this, but they need to be able to empathize with the customer and prospect.
Convince Them
Have you ever called a help line? You know, the 1-800 number? Were you frustrated when a robot or automated system answered the other end? Now think about when you called one, and a real, live human answered and how much more you appreciated that phone call.
Dixa puts it well. "The main point to communicate to your team is this: empathy in customer service means listening to what your customers have to say. But taking this to the next level means tuning in to what they aren’t saying. Companies that show customers empathy will lead to customers who show the company empathy. Even a small gesture can make a huge difference.”
The reason why engaging your audience is so important when it comes to inbound marketing is because in order to complete the final process which is delighting, you have to engage. A company has to know the needs, goals, and wants of their customers in order to delight and fulfill those needs, wants, and goals.
All people are the same when it comes to wanting to be understood. When a company approaches catering to their audience needs, they should think of how they would want to be cared for or engaged by a company. All people desire for their needs to be considered and understood- especially now- in a time where its hard to even get service, or quality products due to the shortage of employees.
As a company, you have the power to make a positive difference in your customer’s day, and in turn, create a loyal customer for life. Remember that one small act of goodwill can start a movement. And all it takes is a little empathy which leads to engagement
For more information on inbound marketing core concepts, be sure to check out our blog for weekly new content. Like us? Let us know! We would love to hear your thoughts on outbound vs. inbound marketing and which one you think works better in the comments section below.
About:
Bridge Leadership is a consulting company that exists to bridge
the gap between companies and their target audience through inbound marketing thought leadership. Run by Boyce College students Ana Lee, Lara Tanner, Maddie Gardner, and Cassidy Cornett, this company is created by students for a class group project.
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