This topic has been on my mind for a while, but recently it resurfaced during a great discussion on Twitter. Let me be clear, if your venture isn't on Twitter, you should really consider jumping on board. The main reason is because it is a real time platform to find, engage and service your customers.

If you are looking to increase your results or just keep your results consistent, you must proactively engage with your customers. Keep in mind that with the speed of technology you are no longer the sole voice of your brand. Your customers will greatly influence how your venture is perceived by others. That may seem like a jarring thought, but if leveraged correctly your users can be another positive voice for your business.

Ways to Drive Customer Engagement:

• Loyalty / Reward Programs - This type of engagement can be as simple as a punch card with a free or discounted item after a specific number of purchases. Loyalty rewards help drive a consistent customer base back to your business. The complexity and cost of this type of engagement could be as simple as printed cards similar to business cards and a hole punch, electronic gift cards that can be reloaded with cash or a mobile app. This approach can work on a very small budget.
  • New businesses should start with a lower number of purcashes before rewarding customer
  • You should always give out a card that has at least one pre-punched hole without a purchase
    
    
• Knowledge Discount - This type of engagement is very easy to start using if you haven't tried it yet. You present the customers with a question. It can be any type of trivia, although, popular choices include questions about your business, the local area, pop culture or even a random factoid. You could crowdsource the material from employees, loyal customers or a mix of both. If a customer answers the question correctly you can give them a modest discount on their purchase. Typically the discount ranges between 10 to 50 cents.
  • Tiered question difficulty, harder questions get a better discount - give customer choice on which to answer
  • Update question daily or several times a week to keep the customers engaged in the content
  • If trivia comes from employees or customers, give them credit with their name next to the question
    
    
• Raffles - A raffle is a great way to reward customers. Your drawing could be weekly or monthly based on the size of the prize. The raffle could be based on customer purchases or by customers signing up for the raffle. Prizes could range from a discount, a free item or even merchandise with your company name and message.
  • Be clear with how customer information will be used and protected (no one wants spam)
  • Be specific with how often the same person can win (ensure fairness)
    
    
• Satisfaction Surveys - When most people think about surveys, they think of lengthy forms to complete. You can easily gain the same type of feedback by informally asking customers at the end of a transaction. Acutal surveys and comment cards have their place, just remember you want to engage your customers not overwhelm or annoy them.
  3 Simple Questions to Ask:
  • How was your experience?
  • Would you recommend us to others?
  • What could we improve?
    
    
• Customer Service - Great customer service goes a long way toward positively engaging with customers. Taking initiative to begin the conversation positions you in a way that lets your customer know you want feedback. Remember it is a conversation, not a monologue (from you or the customer). Your customer service should be timely. The longer feedback goes unaddressed the more it appears you are avoiding the issue. When you reach out you should always be direct and have a personal touch. People know when they are getting stock answers. Respond how you would like to be answered if you had given the feedback yourself. Most importantly, be honest, respectful, timely and transparent.
  • Search social media for mentions of your business
  • Remember customers are always watching how a business and its employees react

We welcome your thoughts in the comments below or on twitter @StartChucktown.