Expanding customer engagement across social media, email, and your website leverages the strengths of each platform to create a cohesive omnichannel experience.
This approach not only meets customers where they are but also offers a seamless transition between different stages of their journey. A unified data model is instrumental in this expansion, as it consolidates customer interactions across platforms, providing a single view of the customer that can drive personalization and improve service.
An Integrated Approach to Customer Experience Offers Unique Benefits
1. Comprehensive Customer Profiles
By integrating data from social media, email, and website interactions, you gain a 360-degree view of the customer. This means understanding not just what they bought, but their sentiments, preferences, and behaviors across channels.
2.Predictive Personalization
With unified data, AI can predict future customer needs and preferences, allowing for proactive engagement. For instance, if a customer frequently asks about product features on social media, the next email they receive could include a personalized guide to those features.
3.Consistent Brand Experience
Regardless of the channel, customers will feel a sense of familiarity and consistency. Whether they’re reading an email, browsing your website, or engaging on social media, the tone, messaging, and offerings they encounter are aligned.
Examples of a Unified Data Model in Action
Real-Time Recommendations
A customer looking at a product on your website can receive an instant message via social media with additional product recommendations or an exclusive promo code, encouraging immediate engagement.
Cross-Channel Customer Service
A customer service inquiry that begins in an email can be seamlessly continued on social media without any loss of context, as the agent has immediate access to the email exchange through the unified data model.
Customer Lifecycle Management and Optimization
Insights from website behavior, email engagement, and social media interactions can inform lifecycle marketing campaigns. For instance, a customer who reads several blog posts about advanced product features might be a prime candidate for an email campaign focusing on premium offerings.
Unified Data is The CX Cornerstone That Helps Teams Tap Unique Opportunities
Behavioral Cohesion
Unified data models can identify patterns that indicate where a customer is in their lifecycle. This allows for tailored engagements that are predictive rather than reactive, such as recognizing when a customer might be about to churn and intervening with a tailored retention campaign.
Sentiment Analysis Across Platforms
By analyzing sentiments expressed in emails, social media, and feedback forms on your website, you can get a real-time pulse on customer satisfaction and rapidly address emerging issues before they escalate.
Event-Triggered Communications
With all data in one place, such as your CRM,it’s possible to set up triggers based on customer actions across channels. For example, if a customer leaves a positive comment on social media, they could automatically be sent a thank-you email with a loyalty discount for future purchases on the website.
Industry Use Cases of Integrated Omnichannel Engagement
Retail
Sephora, a self-proclaimed leader in “prestige omni-retail,” offers a masterclass in omnichannel engagement. Sephora’s digital marketing tactics create a cohesive omnichannel experience that drives a cult-like online following that is brimming with brand loyalty. From its roots as a modest perfumery, Sephora has grown into a global powerhouse in the luxury beauty retail space, a feat achieved by integrating in-store and digital experiences that cater to a diverse customer base. Their strategy has transformed the customer journey, ensuring consistency and personalization at every touchpoint.
In-store, Sephora has created a ‘digital playground’ for shoppers, utilizing mobile technologies and augmented reality to enhance the customer experience. Sales assistants armed with iPads enable customers to virtually try products, adding an interactive element to the shopping experience. The Sephora mobile app acts as a central hub for everything beauty-related, keeping customers informed and engaged with new products, tutorials, and trends. This approach not only drives repeat visits but also underpins their loyalty marketing, with initiatives like Sephora ColorIQ and Visual Artist fostering a deeper connection with the brand.
The fusion of Sephora’s digital and physical retail strategies is perhaps their most innovative step, unifying both teams to focus on overall sales and customer experience rather than separate strategies. By merging their digital and physical retail teams, Sephora has been able to develop a holistic view of their customers’ behaviors and preferences.
This unified data strategy enables them to deliver targeted recommendations, both online and in-store, and to personalize interactions down to the finest detail. It’s this sophisticated use of data analytics that enables Sephora to craft highly personalized shopping experiences that resonate with customers and keep them engaged with the brand over time.
This integrated team approach allows for tracking and understanding the entire customer journey, from online browsing to in-store purchases. It’s this seamless omnichannel strategy that sets Sephora apart, making them a leader in the retail industry where others have struggled to adapt.
Pro Tip: Create a multi-channel communication framework that allows customers to interact with your brand through their preferred channels, such as social media, chat, email, and phone. Ensure consistent and high-quality service across all channels so journeys are seamless and can start and end wherever a person leaves off.
Travel & Hospitality
The digital game at Delta Airlines got a major boost with the introduction of a handful of key tactics meant to make travel experiences smoother, savvier, and all around more enjoyable for customers.
A shining aspect of Delta’s digital strategy is the creation of personalized customer experiences. This approach is epitomized by Delta Sync, a system that ensures each customer interaction is unique and tailored. By seamlessly integrating digital and physical experiences, Delta has been able to create “I know you” moments for its customers, making each interaction feel exclusive and special​​.
One of Delta’s most notable digital innovations is the Parallel Reality experience at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. This technology allows multiple passengers to view personalized flight information on a shared screen by simply scanning a QR code. This cutting-edge technology is indicative of Delta’s commitment to utilizing the latest digital tools to enhance the customer experience, both on the ground and in the air​​. When working with offline clients, the company rely on dynamic QR codes so that they can edit the final destination URL when needed.
Pro Tip: Implement a personalized digital interface that recognizes returning customers and tailors the experience based on their preferences and history. Use data analytics to understand customer behavior and preferences, allowing for customized offers, recommendations, and interactions.
Best Western
Like the other brands mentioned above, Best Western’s digital presence and omnichannel engagement strategy showcases a compelling understanding of 21st-century customer journey requirements. While they’re all similar in the top tier experiences they provide, Best Western’s digital engagement strategy is clearly attuned to creating efficiencies in their booking, check-in, and check out experiences while balancing a focus on pulling customers in through their website rather than relying on travel affiliates or agencies – a tactic that’s surely intended to build more brand loyalty and keep guests clicking through to virtually visit their other locations.
Best Western Specifically knocked it out of the park with the introduction of their guest app. This simple tool has been a game-changer in enhancing their guest experience and operational efficiency because the app allows guests to handle routine tasks like check-in/out, room service orders, and accessing information about hotel services conveniently. For the Best Western, this translates into increased efficiency, reduced operating costs, and the potential for higher revenue from in-hotel services.
Best Western isn’t alone in this innovation – travel and hospitality brands that excel in creating memorable guest apps can significantly improve the customer experience while also benefiting from operational improvements​​.
Pro Tip: Regularly gather customer feedback through surveys, social listening, and direct communication. Use this feedback to continuously improve the digital experience. Stay agile and ready to adapt to emerging trends and customer needs.
Healthcare
Now let’s take a look at a healthcare provider taking its cues from consumer industry trends to revamp its patient experience and make healthcare more engaging and accessible in a digitally connected world.
Rush System for Health, a Chicago-based academic health center, has taken a leap into the future of healthcare with its omnichannel digital strategy. They’re transforming patient interactions from traditional face-to-face appointments to a spectrum of digital options. Getting in touch with your provider is now as easy as texting a friend or jumping on a video call. Rush’s strategy is to offer platforms for instant messaging and video chats, which has opened up a world where healthcare is not just a visit to the clinic but a continuous, accessible conversation that can take place directly on a smartphone.
But Rush System for Health isn’t just throwing a bunch of digital tools at patients and hoping for the best. They’re strategically weaving these tools into a cohesive digital ecosystem to recreate the in-patient experience of before. It’s like having a healthcare control center at your fingertips, where all the usual services—appointment scheduling, medical consultations, health records—are interconnected. This approach ensures that patients navigate through their healthcare journey smoothly, without feeling overwhelmed by disjointed apps and platforms.
Pro Tip: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of digital strategies. These could include customer engagement metrics, sales conversion rates, customer satisfaction scores, and digital interaction analytics.
What these examples from Delta, Best Western, and Rush System for Health underscore is the transformative power of digital engagement in building brand communities. Each brand has recognized the importance of making their services more accessible and personalized, which has, in turn, resulted in stronger, more loyal customer bases.
Whether it’s through streamlined travel experiences, hassle-free hotel stays, or accessible healthcare services, these companies demonstrate that the key to expanding engagement is building a community around a brand by improving access to services and products via everyday channels like social media, email, and digital messaging.
Using Social Media to Build a Community Around Your Brand
Now that we’ve discussed the foundation of an integrated online customer experience and explored some examples,it’s time to discuss the actual orchestration of those channels and touchpoints. What’s the end goal of that orchestration? Building a solid community around you brand.
Customer touchpoints are numerous and varied online, and if you want to reach the masses you need to adopt a holistic approach to engagement, spanning across social media, email, and their website.
This comprehensive strategy ensures a consistent and continuous customer experience, vital for building lasting relationships and brand loyalty. Let’s explore effective tactics to enhance engagement across these key digital platforms.
Strategy 1: Tailor Your Content to Each Platform
- Understand the unique audience and content style of each social platform. For instance, LinkedIn favors professional content, while Instagram thrives on visual storytelling.
- Engage with users through comments, direct messages, and user-generated content to foster a sense of community.
Strategy 2: Leverage Influencer Partnerships
- Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand values to extend your reach and add credibility to your message.
- Use influencers to create authentic content that resonates with your audience and encourages interaction.
Email: Personalizing Communication
Strategy 3: Segment Your Email List
- Segment your email list based on user behavior, preferences, and purchase history to deliver targeted and relevant messages.
- Personalize emails with the recipient’s name and content tailored to their interests, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
Strategy 4: Implement Automated Email Campaigns
- Use automated email campaigns for welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, and follow-up messages to maintain regular contact.
- A/B test different elements of your emails to find what resonates best with your audience.
Website: Enhancing User Experience
Strategy 5: Optimize for User Engagement
- Ensure your website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and fast-loading to enhance user experience.
- Implement chatbots for real-time assistance and include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide users towards engagement.
Strategy 6: Create Valuable Content
- Develop a blog or resources section to provide valuable content that addresses customer needs and questions.
- Use SEO best practices to increase visibility and drive traffic to your website.
- Implement a multilingual website to reach global customers with high-quality automatic translation.
Integrating Across Platforms
Strategy 7: Cross-Promote for Cohesive Messaging
- Promote your email newsletter on social media and use your website to encourage social media following.
- Ensure your branding and messaging are consistent across all platforms for a unified customer experience.
Expanding customer engagement across social media, email, and your website requires a coordinated and integrated approach. By tailoring content to each platform, personalizing communication, and enhancing user experience, businesses can create a seamless journey for their customers. This integrated strategy not only strengthens customer relationships but also amplifies brand presence across the digital landscape.