‘Engagement’ has become something so much more than just a buzzword in the sphere of social media marketing — it’s a success parameter in itself. An engaged audience is an invested audience — making customer feedback paramount in your effort to increase loyalty — something every brand aspires to have heaps of.
So, here’s the million-dollar question — how can a brand keep its audience engaged? The full-proof plan is to produce content that keeps them engaged, and that content stems from first getting to know them well.
Although conducting web-based demographic research gives you a strong base to build upon, truly understanding your audience is a much wider and deeper task.
Outlined below are some steps you can take to start the journey of getting to know your target audience in a way that’s fruitful for both the brand and the audience themselves.
Build long-lasting relationships with brand enthusiasts.
Every brand has those people who’re organically engaged — close friends of the founders, family, etc. Having regular, in-depth conversations with them about their views of the brand, service or product, or customer service, or the brand’s online presence might help you discover things you didn’t notice as an insider.
Know them from the ground up.
Apart from brand enthusiasts, it is also extremely important to gather information about your end-user. Make time every once in a while to talk personally with the users of your brand — may be via a focus group, in order to know more about their experience, any communication hurdles they faced and so on.
Use the feedback tools available to you.
The surge of information consumption online has also given us ample tools to gather the same — even about your brand’s audience. Use reputation management tools to ask your customers how you’re doing. These tools help you get valuable feedback and easily add positive online reviews. People love being noticed and attended to — so that’s what you should focus on. Replying to messages, comments and emails will help your audience open up and share more.
Treat complaints like compliments.
Learn from them. Nothing will reveal the nitty-gritty of your brand’s experience more than carefully listening to and investigating complaints from your audience. This process will reveal gaps you didn’t know existed and help you fill them up.
Use short, personalised surveys.
No one, I repeat, no one enjoys lengthy surveys. Instead, use succinct, curated questionnaires. Study the responses in detail, anomalies more than regularities, and you’ll be closer to knowing them in-and-out.
Getting to know your audience is an ongoing process. Keeping them involved at every stage of brand development will more often than not prove beneficial for the brand.
Snigdha Singh
Digital Marketing Coordinator
MYSTIQUE BRAND COMMUNICATIONS
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