This post originally appeared on tBL member Joshua Lyon’s blog Joshua Lyons Marketing Blog and is republished with permission. Find out how to syndicate your content with theBrokerList.
Good news! Within the digital world, there are countless ways to connect with your audience. Creating engaging ways to keep your consumers in the loop can be a successful piece of your overall marketing strategy. Below you will find several ways to ensure you are connecting with your audience.
1. Know Who You’re Targeting
Before you work on connecting with your audience, you first have to know who your audience is, exactly. By looking into data analytics, your targeted audience can easily be determined. Some factors that you might want to consider are geographical location, age, and interests. It also may be helpful to know their gender and income to best know the kind of consumer you are trying to target. This information can go a long way in terms of connectivity.
After determining who your target audience is, you can then break down the ways that they often shop or engage with brands. For example, younger generations are more likely to use social media like Instagram and TikTok to stay up to date on trends. Older consumers may focus more on classic forms of shopping, so email advertisements might be a better option. Knowing whether they shop more on smartphone apps or on desktops can also be useful.
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2. Be on the Same Platforms as Your Audience
It may seem obvious, but if you want to connect with your audience, be sure you’re reaching them on the platforms they are already on. No matter how good the brand is, a consumer will be less likely to go out of their way to engage with a brand. If the brand is already on a platform, however, they will be more likely to engage.
Think about your own habits as a consumer; if you see an advertisement while on Facebook or while checking your email, you might engage on the post. If you have heard from others that the brand is on TikTok, you probably won’t download the TikTok app just to see their content. Be where your audience already is, and they will be more likely to connect with you.
3. Be Genuine and Social
When thinking about connecting with your audience, the best advice is to be genuine. Social media makes for a great platform to stay genuinely engaged with your audience. As trends show, social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The possibilities seem endless! From posting a fun TikTok, to launching new products on Instagram stories, social platforms are great for interacting directly with your audience. Use this to your advantage! As more people join social media to stay engaged with their friends and family, brands can get more exposure.
People go on social media to be, well, social. So don’t let your company fall short of this! Social media allows for a fun and interactive marketing ploy. Hold a contest on Instagram to increase brand visibility and followers. Interact with your audience in genuine ways. Likes, follows and tags are a type of social media currency, and they are often free. The key is to stay true to your ethos and interact with your audience. It can pay off big time.
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Chipotle’s Example
Chipotle, the popular Mexican fast-food chain, does a great job of genuinely engaging with their audience. They seek out their target audience and then use creative ways to keep them engaged. Chipotle is an active leader when it comes to its marketing. For example, they were one of the first brands to use TikTok as a platform and hold a contest for their fans. They used a branded hashtag, and YouTube personality star, David Dobrik, to become trending! Users of the app would tell why their Chipotle order was the best, and were entered to win $10,000 and to be featured on their menu!
4. Connect with Your Audience by Blogging
Blogging can be another great way to engage with your target audience in a different way. Blogging goes a step further than just telling about your product or service. It can also be a good way to show your audience what your brand actually stands for. If your company values diversity, having a blog about what diversity means to your employees can be exciting and engaging. This can show a bit more of the real you! This can help make that genuine connection and keep your audience coming back for more.
They would be much more likely to go to you, rather than another competitor if they feel connected. While this may be a bit more abstract, it can be really helpful when it comes to the big picture.
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5. Get Personal!
It is important to connect with your audience on a personal level at times. Build your brand by taking into consideration what your consumer has to say! Besides, there is no better group of people to learn from than your own audience!
Consider sending a “Thank You” email (from a real person from your company!) after a purchase is made. Perhaps respond to Yelp reviews in a timely manner to show you care! After your service is complete, address the person by their name as a follow-up. These are all small ways a company can make that extra connection, and have the consumer feeling special.
Receive Personal Feedback From Your Audience
Another great time to do this is when receiving feedback, good or bad. It can be an excellent way to show there are real people from your company! If someone tells you they had a great experience with your brand, but had an issue receiving a product, you can let them know how you plan on dealing with it in the future.
Taking care of “less than happy customers” is never fun, but it is best to be responsive and polite. Mistakes happen! By reacting in a genuine way, customers are more likely to return to you in the future, rather than going to your competitor the next time.
Connect with Your Audience
Connecting with your audience takes time, but the time is always worth it in the end. Consumers are more likely to recommend a brand or become a returning customer if they feel connected. By knowing who your audience is, staying genuine, and true to your brand, you can successfully build that connection!
