Businesses consider customer engagement as an important element in building up brand image. This live experience is successful thanks to the community feel I've created at the event, where yogis can meet and practice with the best instructors. The Instagram Concept connects people with common interests on the popular image sharing platform, in terms of things like the use of certain hashtags such as: #bookstagram: book community #artstagram or #artistsofinstagram: art community #fashiongrammer: fashion influencers #catsofinstagram: cat lovers Similar things can be said of Facebook groups, which are used as a platform to build an online community where people with common interests have a shared space to interact. These same concepts can be used to create live experiences that improve customer engagement. Customer relationships are one of the greatest factors that marketers consider when it comes to promoting business. The people involved get to share a space where they can interact with others who share the same interests. Once you've established your willingness to do more events to drive community, it's important to identify the interests, passions and behaviors of the community you wish to engage before creating your event. Actively hosting your brand's community will help you create content, reach more interested people thanks to social media content by participants and consider new ideas that better engage customers. For The Yoga Expo and other events I develop, I try to keep brand engagement and marketing to a minimum, and you should, too, if you put on your own event. How do you drive customer engagement and build community, through live experiences or otherwise?
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“Customer engagement” is a broad term used by brands for different reasons. Of course, one thing can be said across the spectrum: Customer engagement defines the emotional connection between brands and their customers.
Put another way, according to CRM expert Paul Greenberg, customer engagement is an ongoing interaction between brands and their customers.
Why is investing in customer engagement so important? Simply put, because highly engaged customers have more impact on your business. These customers buy more, promote more and show higher levels of loyalty.
According to Marketo, 63 percent of marketers agree that customer engagement includes renewals, repeat purchases and retention.
Businesses consider customer engagement as an important element in building up brand image. A great way to positively grow your brand image? Create live experiences.
To share an example, every year over 12,000 yogis join roughly 200 wellness brands at The Yoga Expo in Los Angeles. This annual event is put on by Experience Expositions, a company I created. This live experience is successful thanks to the community feel I’ve created at the event, where yogis can meet and practice with the best instructors. Brands participate by hosting giveaways, spreading the word via information booths and interacting with attendees one on one.
Surely, you’ve attended an event like this, where you had the opportunity to interact with a brand in a new, engaging way. But, how do you replicate this customer engagement idea for your own company?
Connect like-minded people.
Are you familiar with the “Instagram Concept”?
The Instagram Concept connects people with common interests on the popular image sharing platform, in terms of things like the use of certain hashtags such as:
- #bookstagram: book community
- #artstagram or #artistsofinstagram: art community
- #fashiongrammer: fashion influencers
- #catsofinstagram: cat lovers
Similar things can be said of Facebook groups, which are used as a platform to build an online community where people with common interests have a shared space to interact.
These same concepts can be used to create live experiences that improve customer engagement. A focus by brands on shared interests in real-world settings builds a solid foundation that encourages engagement.
Emphasize a “we” mentality.
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