Three Things Consumers Want You to Know About Engaging Successfully

Marketers today have more options than ever before for reaching customers—from printed mailers to digital display ads, and from phone and in-person connections to social media, text messages, emails, blogs, and video communications. That plethora of options can be a double-edged sword for customer engagement.

Having so many channels available brings benefits, of course, in that it opens up new ways of getting a company’s messaging out to both customers and prospects. At the same time, it ratchets up expectations. Companies are under pressure to reach each customer in the right place, at the right time and with exactly the right message.

Consumer research conducted jointly by Precisely and the CMO Council found that nearly one-third of all respondents said they expect the brands with which they do business to be “where I want, when I want, ready to share and communicate how I expect.” So, while omnichannel communication of personalized content is no longer optional, customer engagement is incredibly challenging, especially when trying to reach consumers across different generations, genders, and regional locations. Be aware: they have very specific preferences.

Here are three things you need to do right to keep them loyal.

• Be there.

Over 85% of consumers surveyed want you to use a mix of physical and digital channels. Email, text and web are great customer engagement tactics, and make sure you’ve got a person in the store or on the other end of the phone. But watch out. The channels Millennials want are different from Gen Y, Gen X or Boomers — so getting it right is not as easy as it sounds.

• Get personal.

Consumers are issuing a call to action: make it all about ME. They want a connection that is directly and obviously related to their lives, needs and purchase history — not a poorly executed random act of data application.

• Be seamless.

How much do you hate having to start your story all over again when you switch from one channel (say, chat) to another (like phone)? Consumers do too: 71% say be seamless or they will abandon your brand — perhaps forever.

These are just three of the findings of a recent research study from Precisely and the CMO Council, “Critical Channels of Choice.” Understanding the nuances of what constitutes “omnichannel” for different consumers can help marketers reach that sweet spot of being in the right place with the right message at the exact moment of your customer’s need.

Read the full report to learn more about consumers’ channel preferences, what’s trending in and out, and what is the one channel they can’t live without.