Talking to or performing in front of crowds is a real art, isn’t it? Bands do it. Magicians do it. Politicians and inspirational speakers do it. They personalize their performances and their messages for excellent customer engagement.
When politicians enter a crowded auditorium, and as they walk down the aisle they stop to warmly shake hands with a few people on the aisle and shares a few friendly words with each.
The lead singer in a band bounds onto the stage of a packed arena, punching the air with energy. He pauses at the stage edge as if he’s caught someone’s eye in the crowd. He smiles broadly, points and waves at what appears to be a fan he’s spotted. He then calls out to the whole city all the time maintaining a pointed finger to his “friend” in the crowd.
Related: What Little Things Small Businesses Can Do To Build Customer Relationships
So remember this. Once you stop treating the crowd like a crowd and start focusing on individuals, people notice. The more you do it, the more everyone engages.
One by one, the experience and expectation in the crowd is that this isn’t just one of many things. It’s about the performer and me, a unique, unrepeatable, magic moment shared. Even people who don’t get individually called out still start to believe this.
Multi-channel communications need to focus on customer journeys and customer-centric communications. It is all about the imperative of getting into the crowd, waving and smiling and connecting with our customers where they are.
Quite simply, we are moving to a customer-centric marketing approach.
So here are ten building blocks for even better customer engagement and customer-centric marketing:
Make changes
… based on your insights.
Do the right thing.
Do the right thing
… even if it adds costs. Dealing with people means that you will have to take the good with the bad. The patience to deal with all types of customers is vital.
Exercise
… occasional random acts of kindness.
Be social
… offer smiles and friendly words. When dealing with the public, things can go wrong. You have to be flexible enough to roll with the punches and think outside the box sometimes. And be social at all costs.
Demonstrate
… that you listen, hear, and most of all, remember.
Pay attention
… while you listen and observe.
Make it easy
Make it easy.
… for customers to do business with you. Keep in mind that time is the most valuable resource for most customers. Being able to look at a situation through the eyes of a customer is an extremely valuable skill that can enable you to provide the highest degree of service.
Personalize
… your services as much as you can.
Be proactive
… take the initiative for as many actions as possible. It’s never a good idea to wait until a customer is stressed or agitated before offering assistance. Being one step ahead to gauge when someone needs help is the best way to minimize a brewing situation.
Customers don’t want to deal with sales associates who have to force themselves to be pleasant and nice.
A great example
JetBlue recently launched a brilliant new ad campaign called “Air on the Side of Humanity.” Have you seen it? You might want to check it out.
They ingeniously use pigeons as a transposed metaphor for frequent flyers who are challenged by business travel and crowded flights. I can relate. The spot shows crowded skies full of pigeons while an off-camera narrator says “the reality of flying is not very pretty.” It’s a royal headache and a major inconvenience.
They show crowded jostled pigeons on a building ledge lined up single file facing the camera while the narrator says, “They pack you in there, you hardly have any space for yourself. Hey, I’m a big guy, and I need some room to breathe”. As the narrator continues talking about the future situation being bleak the camera focuses on a man’s legs sitting on a park bench throwing crumbs to pigeons on the sidewalk as the narrator says, “They throw you crumbs and act as if it’s a five-course meal.”
Next, they show a lonely pigeon on a busy pedestrian sidewalk as people walk around ignoring a confused bird as the narrator says, “I feel completely ignored.” Then the narrator asks the question, “There’s gotta be a way to fly with a little respect, you know?”
Then they cut to a different voiceover announcer who says, “Enjoy JetBlue’s award-winning service, free unlimited snacks and the most legroom in coach.” An awesome way to engage customers, isn’t it?
What I love about this engagement approach is that it takes a customer experience perspective that no doubt was derived from deep customer insights. As a frequent flyer myself I was able to relate to the spot on multiple levels. I can just imagine what the creative brainstorming session must’ve looked like.
It probably went something like this… Let’s find a metaphor for flying … pigeons. Put them in crowded lines and jostled frustrating situation … crowded skies of birds flapping their wings. Demonstrate the food is not very good … throw some crumbs. And show how nobody cares about the passenger … show bird on a crowded sidewalk alone being ignored.
Then ask the question, there has to be a better way, and the answer from JetBlue is … Air on the side of humanity! Simple and easy. And brilliant.
Do you have a lesson about making your customer engagement better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you.
It’s up to you to keep improving your customer attention and focus. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, your competitor may be providing the ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to improving your continuous learning for yourself and your team?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
More reading on customer engagement from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Whole Foods Customer Engagement Using Social Media
Is Employee Engagement the Backbone of the Publix Culture?
13 Employee Engagement Lessons From Best Employee Brands
Positive Attitude Is Everything for Customer Engagement
Mike Schoultz likes to write about the topics that lead to small business success. He also likes to share his many business experiences. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
