You think things are going great. You’re getting high engagement rates on some emails; blogs are being opened and hopefully read; you feel like this lead is going to convert. And then…

They fall off the face of the earth.

In dating, we call this ghosting—where one second you’re talking to the love of your life and the next they’ve up and vanished, never to be heard from again.

And if you do any sales or marketing, you know just how crushing (and sometimes, how expensive) being ghosted can be. 

Why they’re ghosting you

There could be a lot of reasons why your customers aren’t engaging the way you want them to. 

?  Maybe their future plans have changed and your offerings no longer fit into their needs. 

?  Maybe they found a review of your company that was negative. 

?  Maybe they went with a competitor’s product. 

?  Maybe they simply never wanted your product or service in the first place.

And these are only four reasons. There could be a full slew of things that made your leads jump ship when it came down to crunch time. And if you did know why they ghosted you, it wouldn’t be called ghosting now would it?

Instead of spending time wallowing in the loss (or, if you’re like me, drinking wine and watching Real Housewives of some city to get over the devastation), put your marketing hat on and work on some customer engagement marketing tactics.

What is customer engagement in marketing?

Most businesses spend over 80% of their marketing budget on acquiring new customers, but the reality is—40% of all revenue comes from repeat purchasers, according to a survey from Adobe. 

Customer engagement marketing is a type of strategy that focuses on increasing interactions between you and your prospective customers, rather than focusing solely on finding new customers. It’s the process of creating unique and impactful engagement opportunities across a wide range of marketing channels to help build a strong relationship that can withstand the test of time and avoid the dreaded ghosting.

The more you can keep your customers engaged during the purchase journey, the more likely you’ll be to see them through to the end.

Obviously, that’s easier said than done. And because relationships are a two-way street, sometimes the journey can be beyond your control. 

But there are some strategic decisions you can make to help maximize your customer engagement in a way that boosts your brand experience and increases the velocity of your sales funnel.

How to implement customer engagement marketing

Prioritize the customer experience

Too many marketing companies are focused on gathering more leads, rather than optimizing the experience of their current leads or customers. Taking the time to optimize and prioritize nurturing the customer experience strategy can make a massive difference in the overall happiness and satisfaction of those who have already decided to invest their time or money in your business.

Plus, it’s much more cost-effective. According to a Forrester study, implementing a customer experience strategy leads to faster topline growth, higher brand engagement, and more repeat purchases.

Getting new leads involves paid advertising, laborious man-hours, tons of market research and so much more—all of which can add up to a lot of dollars at the end of the day. 

Find ways to improve authenticity

If your leads feel like you’re being disingenuous, they’re more likely to Irish exit the conversation. It’s really important that your customer engagement marketing efforts come from a place of authenticity—one that leads can connect to and vibe with.

Your customers want to be valued and to be heard. They want to be seen as more than just a potential lead. Building a relationship that goes the distance is extremely important to your digital marketing efforts (and frankly, your business mission as a whole).

Take a step back and assess your messaging and approach. If you were an outsider, would you believe what you’re saying? If the answer is no—or even maybe not—it’s time to take a new approach to your marketing.

Run contests or promotions

Everyone likes free stuff—especially people who already love whatever you’re selling. Plus, they engage customers in a way that not a lot of other campaigns can pull off. 

And if you implement some sort of user-generated content campaign (UGC), your marketing can reach more people with minimal effort on your part.

We love this blog from Submittable that covers all the ins and outs of planning and launching a memorable contest.

Consider a re-engagement email campaign

Buying email lists is an act only for the desperate. There are many strategies you should try to implement before you go that route, including re-engagement!

If you have a list of email addresses that are five years old and a little stale, it might be time to run a re-engagement email campaign! This is a campaign designed to breathe some life back into lapsed customers or leads in order to put them back on your list of potential customers. 

We recently ran a re-engagement campaign for one of our clients that increased their average open rate to 42.85%. We implemented some strategies like increased personalization, personalizing as much as possible, updating the design and more, all with one goal in mind—bring people back into the fold.

Share testimonials or reviews

84% of website visitors trust online reviews as much as they trust a recommendation from a friend. Taking the time to gather customer feedback is always a worthwhile investment; they can be shared via email, social media, print campaigns and so much more. 

Promoting your positive customer experiences can provide potential customers with valuable information about your business and instill confidence in your services, without much effort on your part.

Be present and active

Consistency is key when it comes to customer engagement. You need to make your leads feel like you’re there for them whenever they need it, whether it’s by responding to messages or liking comments on social media. This will in turn encourage your customers to engage back with you and create a more well-rounded relationship. 

If you start off strong and then start to distance yourself, your leads are going to feel it. If our goal here is to avoid them ghosting you, you shouldn’t ghost them either. 

Customer engagement isn’t a one-and-done approach. It’s a consistent act that requires patience, persistence and a genuine desire to make connections. If you’re interested in developing a strategy for building strong customer relationships and engagement opportunities, we’re here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation.