Connecting your way to success: Why customer engagement is essential to small businesses

Small businesses differ from large corporations because instead of having a widespread customer base, they are localized and depend on the community to support their business.

This may sound discouraging for small business owners, but small businesses are in a far better position when forming close customer relationships.

Forming close relationships with customers goes beyond having a casual conversation. In addition to in-person interactions, small businesses should consider implementing customer engagement in their marketing plans.

Customer engagement involves engaging customers through different business aspects to produce enthusiasm and positive interactions. When a business continuously practices customer engagement, consumers consider it convenient and considerate.

This means customers will be more loyal to businesses that accommodate their needs while being passionate. Maintaining customers’ loyalty is economically sound since attracting a new customer costs five times more than retaining current clients.

Customer engagement directly boosts sales, especially when businesses train sales teams in effective outreach methods. Additionally, when small businesses provide customer engagement that makes the purchasing process easier, like how-to instructions for specific products, the customer feels more comfortable buying those products. Customer engagement also encourages customers to buy more expensive products and upgrades by 38 per cent.

However, customer engagement is more than just a one-and-done deal. It requires consistency to build long-lasting relationships with consumers.

Here are some cost-effective customer engagement strategies that small businesses can easily implement into their business plans.

Focus on business websites and blogs

Capturing a consumer’s attention through a visually pleasing web design is one of the first ways to draw them in and encourage engagement. This can be achieved through a clean and clear layout, easy-to-use navigation tools and ensuring that your website looks good on different types of devices.  

After implementing these basics, small businesses can include visuals and videos to showcase their staff and product development process. This can include photographs of staff, images of your products instead of generic visuals from the internet and educational videos and tutorials.

 Interactive elements like polls, quizzes and surveys can help consumers gain insight into the operations of a small business while demonstrating that the business owner values feedback.

Use email marketing methods

Practically every consumer has an email address, and businesses can use this as a tool to communicate information that wouldn’t usually be explained during in-person customer interactions.

For instance, by simply asking for an email address, small businesses can inform customers about new products, benefits and facts. Similarly to websites, these emails can include interactive elements such as polls and comment sections. This method is also time efficient because business owners can automate emails to send at specific times. 

Promote and update social media

Social media is another place where small business owners can share photos and videos about their operations so new customers can get a sense of the business before even walking through the door. Like a website design, a social media feed should be organized and easy to navigate.

As more people share, like and tag your content, it can appear on new customers’ platforms. Encouraging customers to tag your company’s social media handles can be accomplished by asking consumers to do so in the caption of their social media posts.

Additionally, with each social media platform being different, picking one that best corresponds with a small business’s products or services can help engage customers. For example, Instagram may be best if a small business sells visual products like furniture, art and jewelry. On the other hand, if a small business provides services to a community, outlets such as Facebook or Twitter can help them connect with community members.

Giveaways and loyalty programs

Customers like to be rewarded for purchasing from a business. Giveaways for first-time purchasers or loyal regulars can not only keep them coming back but also produce positive interactions that customers will remember.

Examples of giveaways include giving a small gift on the customer’s birthday. This is something that any small business can do because it can be as simple as providing a free coffee, beverage or item of clothing, a discount and much more. The business owner can determine the small gift so they can feel in control while the consumer still feels appreciated.

On the flip side, small businesses can implement many types of loyalty programs. Some examples include subscription programs, points programs that allow customers to accumulate points for rewards or mission-driven customer loyalty programs that enable customers to contribute to non-profit organizations when they buy enough of a particular product.

Relationships between consumers and businesses do not need to be disconnected or inauthentic. Instead, customer relationships can be an opportunity for business owners to spark the same passion they have for their products and services in consumers.

Ultimately, customer engagement helps small businesses grow their sales, increase customer retention and enhance community relationships.