Six Layers of Customer Engagement

The following is a guest post by Kathy Snavely (with edits by Matt Hannaford). They've written a summary from Mark Schaefer’s Keynote Address at Social Media at Work, hosted by the Harrisburg Social Media Club on October 19 at the Hilton Harrisburg

What a privilege it was for me to watch others figure out how awesome Schaefer is, during his keynote address at #SMatWork at the Hilton Harrisburg.  Mark and I met on Twitter about two years ago, and IRL a short time later at #BroganMemphis in 2010.  As our mutual friend @billymitchell1 says, “He’s a brainiac and a maniac!”  His blog, is ranked in the top 140 marketing blogs by Ad Age.  (And if you’re impressed by Klout scores, his magic number was 81 before last week’s algorithm change and is now 63.)

Here’s a summary from his presentation, including information from the prolific stream of tweets that day.

1 – The first level of digital customer engagement is the website.  Mark made a point of saying we need to “give, give, give, give, give – and then ask,” keeping our customers’ needs/wants as our primary focus.  Even though website traffic has fallen by some 25% since the inception of social media, it can still be a very effective tool.  Your content (on your website, blog, social media) can be your best catalyst in building relationships with others, including your customers.

2 – The second level is the digital web, or social media.  Social media efforts that truly engage take time, just like building in-person relationships.  He encouraged us to surround ourselves with people who care about us on the web.  And I encourage you to demonstrate that kind of caring in your digital relationships.

3 – Facebook takes the prize for the third level of engagement; some people think Facebook IS the web!  Schaefer said this tool is a lifestyle for some people, as well as their primary resource for searches and recommendations. Last year, people spent 9.3 billion hours on Facebook…really.

4 – Mobile/smartphones possess the fourth level; this is where more than half of the online conversations take place.  Here’s a new stat for you: 72.2 million Americans accessed social media via their smartphones in August (that’s 37% higher than last year). Mobile website traffic also accounts for 7% of all web traffic and will continue to rise. Make sure your mobile site is efficient and effective, because people expect it to load faster than a traditional website on a marginally slower connection.

5 – The fifth level is Augmented Reality, data streamed through our smartphones.  Wikipedia defines it as, “a live or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input, such as sound, video, graphics, or GPS data.”  One of our conference attendees called the use of these tools as using our “smart glasses!” Here is one example of how augmented reality will be used to locate subway stations in an unfamiliar city.

6 – Gaming claims the sixth level; it is the ultimate customer engagement tool.  Interacting with us by Twitter during the conference, @billymitchell1 tweeted, “People love recognition and feedback too.  From badges to awards and mayoral honors, life is a game.  Social media can be too!” Figure out how you can best use a gaming system in your digital marketing efforts. Whether it’s adding a special on foursquare for a user’s fifth check-in at your place of business or coming up with something completely different, people enjoy the feeling of achievement. Reward them and it will payoff for your business.

Harrisburg Social Media Club leader @AnneDGallaher tweeted, “Become social; don’t just do social.”  Across all levels of engagement, content is power.  And many feel that small businesses have the advantage in this court.  Use that power wisely!

PS  It’s a secret: we also heard some kloutish rumors...but we'll leave that up to Mark to tell you about when his new book comes out in February 2012. You might find clues on Twitter, @markwschaefer, or his blog.