As founder of the Center for Customer Engagement and producer of the annual Summit on Customer Engagement, Bill Lee has been a strong voice in the loyalty marketing sector for years. In his latest report, Lee notes ways in which companies can build upon customer engagement and create brand advocacy.
Highlighting the power of word of mouth, Lee calls for companies to allow their customers to tell their own stories. By using customer experience to shape the advocacy narrative, brands can effectively market through a consumer’s network of friends and family.
“Like-minded people are banding together in increasingly creative ways to achieve mutual goals, without waiting on institutions to serve their interests,” says Lee, underlining the potential opportunity for brands to leverage tightly knit ideological communities.
According to Lee, firms can improve growth in the coming year by activating certain customer engagement practices, including:
Build Corporate Self-Esteem
Brand advocacy starts from the inside out, and employee engagement is an unsung hero in boosting customer experience. Engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond to give customers the unique, positive, and memorable experience they expect from their favorite brands.
Ask, “What Stories Do We Want Our Customers to Tell?”
In an age where digital connection has gone from awe-inspiring to routine, marketers need to take every opportunity to turn customers as their biggest advocates. Sites like Yelp and OpenTable turn every customer into a critic, and customer experience professionals must adapt.
Make Process King when it Comes to Customer Centricity
Every company wants to become more focused on its customers. What separates truly customer-centric companies, however, is their emphasis on details. This includes internal alignment, cross-department collaboration, and fostering effective and enthusiastic communities both within and outside of the organization. Achieving customer centricity is truly in the journey, rather than the destination.
Ask, “How Can We Leverage the Natural Desire of Buyers and Consumers to Affiliate with Each Other?”
In addition to leveraging communities, companies are starting to realize that they’re able to create a community from scratch using brand advocacy as a foundation. Humans naturally want to share positive experiences, and companies can provide opportunities for this sharing by introducing them to an enthusiastic and relatable peer group that may share the same interests and buying habits.