The research is in, and businesses that take measures to increase customer engagement reap the benefits in conversions and customer loyalty. It is one thing to drive customers to your website, but that does not help increase conversions. Also, you must find a way to get them to stay once they have made your initial purchase. Text messaging is a proven strategy for building an audience and increasing customer engagement, but how does it work?
Does Customer Engagement Work?
When customers are engaged with your company, it gives you an edge over your competition. Engagement increases conversions, but it can also keep customers around and keep them from leaving for your competition. Gallup defines customer engagement as a psychological attachment to a brand or product. A recent study found that only 29% of B2B customers were fully engaged and that 71% were at risk of leaving. Customer engagement can help make the first sale, and it can help you make future sales by lowering churn.
Customer engagement is closely tied to customer loyalty, and getting them to take action, such as clicking on a text link, increases engagement. It is important to understand that customer satisfaction and engagement are not the same, even though they are related.
A customer can be satisfied with a purchase and still be drawn away by a competitor’s offer. When a customer is fully engaged, they are committed to the relationship and are less likely to leave, even if a competitor tries to lure them away. That is why increasing customer engagement should be at the top of everyone’s list.
Text Messaging for Increased Engagement
Creating a customer engagement strategy means creating touchpoints where your customers can interact with your company in a personal way. Some proven methods include social media, email surveys, or contact with a customer service representative. Text messaging is another proven method for increasing customer interaction and engagement. Companies like SlickText, make engaging with customers through text messaging convenient and easy.
Incorporating text messaging into your customer engagement strategy means taking a customer lifetime value (CLV) approach. This means that you are not only focusing on getting the initial sale, but you are working to develop a relationship that means future orders and referrals from the customer. Every interaction you have with a customer affects engagement, so it is important to hire a company that can ensure it is positive.
Some text messaging strategies to improve engagement include:
- Text to sign up
- Text to win
- Surveys
- Text to claim a discount
- SMS automated responses
- Mass text messaging
These are only a few strategies to help increase engagement through text messaging. Reading a blog or article does not necessarily count as engagement unless the customer responds or comments in some way. Text messaging creates a better chance that the customer will take it one step further beyond passively reading the material. A timely, interesting, and relevant text is more likely to create engagement, which is why hiring a professional is so important.
How Are You Adding Value?
The key to engaging customers is to ask yourself how you add value to them continually. Of course, you add value through your products and services, but you can also add value to them through the information you offer.
For instance, sending a text that addresses a common problem can make them feel like they are getting something for free. It also might spark them to send a response back. Every time you engage a customer in this way, it makes it more likely that they will think of you when they need your product or service instead of thinking of your competition.
Services that streamline text marketing are an excellent way to increase customer engagement and make sure you provide timely contact. A text messaging service can help you set up customized auto-responses, help build subscribers, and provide mass text messaging services.
This can help you save time and money by providing scalable solutions that encourage response. A text messaging service offers excellent value and can help you engage with your valuable customers conveniently and cheaply.
