Engagement Marketing Defined
Recently, “engagement” has become a big buzzword. In fact, a recent Forbes Insights study cited “97% of companies see the issue of engagement as very or somewhat important.”
What is “engagement marketing”, and what does it mean for us as marketers?
At Live Marketing, we define Integrated Engagement Marketing as:
“A holistic, multi-touch, multi-channel approach to marketing that uses interactive experiences to directly engage with prospects and customers.”
The Challenge
The technology revolution has resulted in more educated and empowered customers who are no longer content to sit passively and listen. Cutting through the clutter to reach target audiences has also never been more difficult—whether you’re trying to engage with prospects online or in-person.
As a result, in today’s environment, marketers face the challenge of:
- Not engaging with enough of the right people
- Communicating or differentiating their message in a crowded marketplace
- Inspiring action and accelerating lead generation
- Converting qualified leads into genuine sales opportunities
Traditional Marketing versus Engagement Marketing
To overcome today’s challenges, marketers are turning to integrated engagement marketing—a new age of marketing programs that talk with customers instead of at them; that show instead of tell, that invite and encourage participation.
The characteristics of engagement marketing versus traditional marketing:
- Two-way interactions instead of one-way transactions
- Active instead of passive
- Experiential versus controlled
- Achieves anticipation instead of interruption
- Personal versus general
- Knowledge-based compared to product-based
- Community-based instead of company-based
- Multi-touch, multi-channel in lieu of single purpose
If your marketing programs aren’t getting the desired level of interest; if they aren’t delivering the results you're looking for; if you're being tasked to do more with less…then think about incorporating engagement marketing principles. Effective engagement programs can translate into:
- Greater sales
- Higher profits
- Repeat purchase behavior
What’s your definition of “engagement marketing”?