Last update: 30/10/2024

In a nutshell

Engagement sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas focuses on how effectively a business can capture and sustain the interest of its customers. Engagement goes beyond simply attracting attention; it requires creating lasting connections that drive active participation, loyalty, and advocacy. By understanding the factors that influence engagement, companies can design marketing strategies that foster meaningful interactions with their audience.

For example, an eco-friendly cleaning brand like Green Clean might engage customers by sharing content on sustainable living, offering loyalty rewards, or creating a community around environmental responsibility. This level of engagement helps deepen customer relationships and build a strong brand community.

Introduction

Engagement sub-dimension, within the Customer category of the Marketing Canvas, focuses on building and maintaining a connection with customers that drives ongoing interest and involvement. This connection is based on a combination of communication, value delivery, and emotional resonance, which are key to keeping customers engaged over the long term.

While Pains and Gains look at addressing customer frustrations and needs, Engagement emphasizes the importance of continuous, active interaction, aiming to build loyalty and foster a community around the brand.

In the marketing canvas

The Marketing Canvas is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and non-marketers to build a robust marketing strategy. It consists of six meta-dimensions, each with four sub-dimensions, for a total of 24 sub-dimensions defining your Marketing Strategy. One of these sub-dimensions is “Engagement”, which falls under the CUSTOMER category.

What is engagement?

Engagement represents the emotional and behavioral commitment a customer has with a brand. This commitment might manifest as repeat purchases, sharing positive feedback, participating in brand events, or advocating for the brand. Engaging customers requires understanding their interests, delivering consistent value, and encouraging them to participate in a shared experience with the brand.

For example, Green Clean might engage its eco-conscious customers by:

• Providing resources on reducing household waste.

• Offering loyalty rewards for repeat purchases of eco-friendly products.

• Organizing community events focused on environmental sustainability.

Engagement is essential for building a brand community and transforming customers into advocates.

Engagement: an in-depth perspective

Engagement is about maintaining a two-way interaction between a brand and its customers. It requires businesses to understand what motivates their customers to stay connected and to respond proactively to their interests and feedback.

For example:

• Active Engagement: A customer who frequently interacts with Green Clean’s social media content or attends brand-hosted events feels a personal connection with the company’s mission.

• Passive Engagement: A customer may use Green Clean’s products without actively engaging with the brand’s content or events. Converting passive engagement into active participation can enhance loyalty and increase brand advocacy.

Understanding the depth and type of customer engagement helps businesses tailor their approaches to meet the specific preferences of their audience.

Tools for engagement: the NPS methodology

The NPS methodology segments customers into three groups based on their level of engagement: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. Promoters are champions of your brand who will actively recommend your products or services. Detractors, on the other hand, may express dissatisfaction and may discourage others from interacting with your company. Passives fall in-between; they are neither actively promoting nor detracting from your brand.

The usefulness of NPS doesn't stop at categorizing customers. When you compare your NPS score with your competitors', you can gain valuable insights into your brand's standing in the market. This comparison can be achieved through an NPS study of your competitor's customer base or the broader market.

Translating engagement into action

To foster deep and lasting engagement, businesses should prioritize consistent, value-driven interactions that resonate with customer interests. Encouraging feedback, providing valuable resources, and fostering a sense of community can transform passive customers into loyal, actively engaged brand advocates.

Questions to consider:

• How do your customers prefer to engage with your brand?

• What types of content or interactions resonate most with your audience?

• How can you create opportunities for customers to share their experiences and become advocates?

Statements for self-assessment

For a comprehensive evaluation of your understanding and application of the Engagement concept, rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):

1. You have the right tools & systems at your disposal for measuring the engagement of your customer? e.g. NPS alike tools

2. The level of detractors amongst your customers is helping you achieve your goals.

3. The level of promoters amongst your customers is helping you achieve your goals.

4. You understand the role of sustainability in customer engagement and have aligned your strategies accordingly.

Interpretation of the scores

• Negative scores (-1 to -3): Negative scores indicate that you disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, highlighting significant gaps in your ability to understand and measure customer engagement. These gaps might include:

  • Not having the appropriate tools and systems to evaluate engagement (e.g., NPS or similar metrics).

  • Failing to recognize the impact of detractors or promoters on achieving your goals.

  • Lacking alignment of sustainability strategies with engagement efforts.

  This lack of insight could lead to missed opportunities for improving customer satisfaction, fostering loyalty, or leveraging advocacy. Immediate action is needed to develop systems, strategies, and alignment to close these gaps.

• A score of zero (0): A neutral score reflects uncertainty or a basic awareness of customer engagement. While you may have some tools or understanding, your efforts lack the depth or focus needed to drive meaningful engagement. For example:

  • Measurement systems may exist but are not effectively utilized.

  • The role of detractors and promoters in achieving business goals may be acknowledged but not clearly understood or addressed.

  • Sustainability as a driver of engagement may not be fully integrated into your strategies.

  Further research, clearer alignment, and stronger implementation are required to achieve sustained customer engagement.

• Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores indicate that you agree or strongly agree with the statement, demonstrating a clear and comprehensive understanding of customer engagement. This includes:

  • Having effective tools and systems (e.g., NPS) to measure and analyze customer engagement.

  • Leveraging insights about detractors and promoters to achieve business goals.

  • Aligning sustainability with engagement strategies to strengthen brand loyalty and advocacy.

  This strong understanding enables your business to build a loyal customer base, reduce churn, and cultivate a community of brand advocates, reinforcing your position in the market.

Case study: Green Clean’s engagement

Misaligned understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean has little understanding of its customers' engagement preferences, leading to ineffective or irrelevant communication and minimal interaction with the brand. This misalignment may result in a disconnected customer base with low loyalty or enthusiasm for the brand’s mission.

Surface understanding (0): Green Clean recognizes that some customers value engagement around eco-friendly practices but lacks a full understanding of how to build consistent, meaningful connections. While they may engage customers occasionally, these interactions lack depth and fail to resonate strongly with the brand’s eco-conscious audience.

Deep understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean has a strong understanding of what engages its customers and actively fosters a community around sustainable living. By providing valuable resources, rewarding loyalty, and hosting events aligned with environmental values, Green Clean builds lasting relationships with its customers, increasing both loyalty and advocacy.

Sources

1. Harvard Business Review, 2003, https://hbr.org/2003/12/the-one-number-you-need-to-grow

2. Moving Beyond NPS, Medium, https://link.medium.com/OHO1Mz6IGY

3. Hubspot, The ultimate guide to your Net Promoter Score (NPS)

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