Online consumers and marketers agree: engagement is keen. However, we’re using the same word in different ways. How do we bridge the gap?
Blake Bowyer (@BlakeBowyer)
Media Program Analyst
Like most marketers, I get the eMarketer Daily for insightful research on digital marketing every morning. Much of the data that flows into my inbox reinforces the notions we have about digital marketing: you need a strategy, mobile marketing is on the rise, many companies are shifting budgets online. The other week, I read two reports that came three days apart and I couldn’t help but laugh:
It’s that simple: 1 + 1 = 2. Engagement makes everyone happy! Why then, when everyone seems to be working toward the same dynamic, are so many brands struggling with social media success?
One word: interpretation. The two sides are playing in the same ballpark, but one’s thinking baseball while the other is sinking stakes for cricket. Marketers still have a skewed perception of what engagement means to consumers, or don’t really know at all. The most difficult part is establishing a shared definition of a valuable relationship online. For consumers, it could be everything from personalized homepages to tête-à -tête interactions via social networks.
Let’s establish what we can confidently assume about how consumers see engagement:
- It should provide value for the end-user.
That’s it! That’s literally it. Everything else we identify with engagement is hearsay. Including:
- It should be personal and customized.
- It should be two-way.
- It should have mutual benefit.
- It should be genuine.
- It should make the consumer feel good inside or part of a community.
Sure, those are a few idealistic qualities we assume should be part of the engagement equation, but they don’t have to be. I don’t care about 1800Hotels being genuine on Twitter, I just want to save money. They could offer me a coupon code and call me “cheap jerk” in the same tweet and I wouldn’t really mind. Sure, I’d rather they treat me with more respect, but I came for the coupon code, not to feel like it’s my personal travel agent. And, honestly, I don’t care if they lose money on the deal or if even address me individually. Again, I just want to save money, especially in a situation in which I want instant gratification.
Again, it’d be great if engagement was that simple and brands could just plug a few criteria in a social media algorithm and *BOOM!* there’s your strategy, but that’s not the case. We can’t assume consumers want us to care or even be authentic, they just want value. So, what is a marketer to do? Here are three key tips for coming together over engagement:
1) Know your customers’ definition. They have unique needs, values, and expectations of your brand. Don’t assume because you’re GM that you should mimic Ford’s social media strategy. Like every community or group, they have their own associations and levels of intimacy.
2) Don’t just listen, ASK! Listening is one of the highly-touted benefits of social media initiatives. But why don’t you just ask? Your customers will be more than happy to tell you what they want and that’s when you can listen. Within reason, see what your customers want and make it happen.
3) Adjust, adjust, adjust. You might not get it right the first time. Or the second, third, or fourth. Customer needs, expectations, and precedents change – and not just because of what you do, but what competitors do too. Social media can change if customers aren’t responding or getting value. Don’t get social media strategy ADD, but feel free to come from different angles if the current isn’t proving successful.
When you’re talking to consumers, make sure you’re speaking the same language. Otherwise, you’re both left wanting. Maybe you need to join them and play some pick-up cricket for a change. Just watch out for the rib ticklers.
