If you were watching the Oscars a couple of weeks ago, you were privy to the latest fad in show biz, now referred to as Jolie’ing. One right leg made history worldwide in a matter of moments in a memorable pose on the red carpet. Was it a blatant attempt to draw attention, comments, and possible controversy? Yes! Was it brilliant? Yes! On a night when there were hundreds of stars on which we could focus, Angie made a single, strategically planned move to catch and hold our attention — a beautiful demonstration of engagement.
Though you may be tired of seeing and hearing about Angie’s right leg, I wanted to take the opportunity to use it as an example of how you should focus a bit more ways to show some leg in your business.
Engagement goes beyond merely attracting attention. That’s just the start. To be engaging, you need to be someone who others desire to connect with, get to know better, do business with, and talk about. Engagement is about motivating people on four levels –
- Involvement – Are they visiting your website, social media profiles, blog?
- Interaction – Are they buying from you, clicking your links, taking that next step in the relationship?
- Intimacy – Are they participating with you and your brand by leaving blog comments, sharing your social media posts, participating in surveys, and engaging in discussions?
- Influence – Are they endorsing you, providing referrals, demonstrating loyalty to you and your brand, and becoming repeat customers?
Once you have determined the behavior of your audience, begin to brainstorm ways you can increase their level of engagement. “Showing a little leg” will be different from business to business, and from audience to audience. And getting creative, though challenging, can be an exciting task to tackle. Consider the following ideas to invite engagement:
- Share your story, a struggle you worked through, or something your audience doesn’t already know about you
- Ask questions on Facebook, share photos or meaningful quotes, and invite blog comments
- Post testimonials from happy clients, and don’t be shy when asking for referrals from those with whom you’ve developed solid relationships
- Provide a personal touch by writing a thank you note, or sending a check-in email to a former client
- Thank your followers for following with a personal, not automated message
- Host a contest with various creative ways your audience may participate
- Invite community or tribe members to get involved in a specific way
Most importantly, think deeply about WHO your audience members are, and how you can touch them in a personal and meaningful way. Your goal should be quality with a small number over quantity. You can not be all things to all people, but you can be just what some people really need.
We all want to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. So when it comes to developing more customer engagement in your business, think beyond the obvious, to step it up and stick your neck (or your leg) out there, and see what type of response you get.
DO NOT LEAVE THIS PAGE if you have a great idea for increasing customer engagement in your business without sharing it in the comments below. 🙂 Did that catch your attention?
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Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece 
4 Comments
Reblogged this on musingsofasalesman and commented:
Good blog post! I think it is important to stand out from the crowd in order to get noticed and as Dr Shannon rightly says, that is only the first step. Once done, then you need to follow-it up with an interaction.
As they say in India, Tamasha works to get attention, but what you do after tamasha is what matters most!
Thank you for sharing my blog post! You are correct that standing out is just the beginning, and then as with all things business, it’s follow-up, follow-up, and then follow-up some more. 🙂
I am trying to start my consulting and tutoring business for teaching how to use software, computers, and being productive instead of bogged down with all the technology. I have a full time job so the client trickle in, I want to do this full time but just can’t abandon the security! What are you suggestions for someone like me?
Thank you for your question! When it comes to preparing to take that leap of faith we all do, moving from the security of working for someone to working for ourselves, you have to make sure you have done your due diligence and are set up for success. My best recommendation is to do your research. Make sure that you know who you are, who you will serve, and how you will serve them. Then verify that there is a big need in the niche that interests you, for which people are already seeking and paying for assistance. Then determine how you will separate yourself from the competition. Once you’ve “done your homework”, the next step is to write your business plan, and set up a timeline to take action. The action looks different for each person based on their current income needs. But you can easily come up with a plan to transition into your business one piece at a time. Perhaps that means right now, building up some extra income in savings by working with clients in the evenings or on the weekend. The next step might be working part-time at your job, and the other part on with your new clients. Then finally, when you have a financial buffer in place, take the plunge to full-time.
However you decide to unfold your plan of attack and transition, make sure you are committed to the time you are carving out for your business growth. You and your family will have to make sacrifices to get your dream off paper, but having everyone’s support makes that process much easier and swifter. Best wishes! Shannon