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Customer Engagement: Key to Internet Marketing Success

With all the options in mass advertising today, is it hard finding one you can trust? Are the number of clicks and opens you get not satisfactory? Are you starting to think that consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and have higher demands?

Author: Zeynep Cancelik
Date: Oct 19, 2010 - 12:49:54 PM

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With all the options in mass advertising today, is it hard finding one you can trust? Are the number of clicks and opens you get not satisfactory? Are you starting to think that consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and have higher demands?

Are you stuck in this social, tech and marketing dilemma?

Well, that is because the targeted segments are getting smaller and smaller. The new media offers hundreds of new ways to receive news, updates, ads, promotions, coupons, newsletters. The consumer has lots of options to pick from and the competition for a marketer is fierce.

Also, it has become much easier to publish. People are surrounded with websites, blogs, portals, forums, viral communities, podcasts, social media sites etc. Just as the Marketing Guru Seth Godin would put: “Everyone’s an expert on something.” Customers speak their minds; they blog it, comment on it, forward it, share it and collect it. No bad customer experience is a well kept secret any more. All it takes – even for a loyal customer- is an internet access to tell the world how lousy the service was last Friday at the local restaurant.

Who is to blame? THE INTERNET!

The good news is that internet is also very much marketer friendly if your mind is set to “Customer Engagement.” Let’s put this phenomenon on the table by using Kirkpatrick’s Model on the Degree of Involvement (click-consume-understand-act).

Visiting

The user has taken the first step into the customer journey on your website by basically liking your subject line or title. Although this user group’s adaptation level is low, he or she has willingly clicked on your link which means that you are given the explicit permission to promote. Use it wisely. Search Engine Marketing and Optimization can help you learn these visitors’ behavior pattern while they are surfing on your site and what you need to improve. These “clickers” love to click! Get them to bookmark or tag your site.

Consuming

Now that you deal with prospects who actually are interested in what you offer, make them read your material. Keep in mind that consumer’s average attention spin is low and that the consumers tend to filter automatically. This is one of the disadvantages of this age where everyone is bombarded with marketing messages. Be simple, to the point and interesting in both design and content. Be remarkable! If you are successful at this level your site will be rated, voted or commented.

Understanding

The user gets more involved into the process. Your goal is not only to present the information that the reader seeks but also to facilitate experiences that will help them master the knowledge. You need to cater to as many learner types as possible: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual demonstrations such as tables, charts, images will be helpful to paint mental pictures. One the transformation from a simple reader to the “aware consumer” is completed, you will realize that the consumers start to create content by uploading comments, blogging, referring or creating mash ups.

Acting

Have you get them excited enough to act on it? This level will reveal it all. The consumer who was successfully carried to this level is considered to be “Social”. You, as the marketer have planted the seed. Now, it will grow into satisfaction and then networking, creating communities, sharing with friends. Remember that only a highly engaged customer is loyal.

In other words, to “ Keep your Customers for Life ™,” you need to invest your time, energy and resources in your customer to engage them with your brand. Now that we have Internet and the right tools it is easier to keep up with consumers and their preferences.

Zeynep Cancelik

Surado Solutions, Inc.

Surado Solutions

View all articles by Zeynep Cancelik

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