If you are looking to scale up your business as opposed to simply growing it (if you’re not sure on the difference take a look at our recent blog on the subject of scaling vs growth) then customer engagement can play a vital role.

We’ve all heard the classic stat that it costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing one - and yet for many businesses, their marketing strategy ends once someone becomes a customer.  

By implementing effective customer engagement tactics you will not only build a positive relationship with existing customers, and begin to convert potential ones, but you’ll also create a solid and robust strategy that will continue to work as your company expands, ultimately increasing the lifetime value of your customer base, maximising the Return on Investment (ROI) achieved from your efforts.  

Build in automation tactics 

Automation is the process of triggering marketing messages, often through mechanics such as email marketing and SMS, to be sent to customers based on their behaviours, whether that is a welcome email following a website download or sales incentives to re-use your service or product. 

Whilst this requires some set up work to create initially, once the system is up and running it is instantly scalable, continuing to perform in the same manner no matter the number of contacts on your database or level of interactions – little wonder that 55% of B2B companies are already adopting the technology to fuel growth. 

Personalisation 

We touched upon personalisation in previous blogs, and with research showing a 26% rise in open rates for emails with personalised subject lines compared to anonymous content, it can be a rewarding part of any strategy. 

Levels of personalisation can vary significantly, from simply including a name in the header of the email, to displaying content based on an individual’s purchase history or providing links to personalised landing pages depending on content.  

As with automation, once the mechanics have been put in place, personalisation is a tactic that can help your business to scale-up with relatively little additional resource required. 

Celebrating significant dates  

We are big advocates of brands building a relationship with customers and, like any relationship, it is important to celebrate important milestones.  

Building content into your automation plan that highlights customer birthdays, the anniversary of them signing up for your newsletter, or dates that are significant to your brand (National Pizza/Bring Your Dog to Work Day etc) can provide opportunities to touch base with your customers and prompt visits to your website – funnelling customers back into your sales channels.  

Replenishment reminders 

An often-overlooked area of customer interaction is to send emails a set length of time after a purchase, reminding customers to replenish your product. This works particularly well for brands whose products are used on regular basis, such as household cleaning products or food brands; however, the tactics can also be utilised by cosmetics brands, leisure destinations, fitness companies or by any B2B companies that experience high levels of repeat purchases on their products or services. 

These are just a few ways in which focusing on engagement can prove useful to scale-up, and a small sample of some of the helpful tactics that can be employed.  

To find out more about enhancing your customer experience to drive business, contact our team today, and discover more about scaling up in our latest eBook.