5 Ways to Engage with Your Audience More Authentically

In an increasingly automated world, customers are seeking more personalized service, and they want to know that they matter to the businesses they deal with. As advanced as some AI has become, there is no replacing the human touch. If you are not engaging authentically with your audience as a human, you are missing an opportunity to gain customer loyalty and grow your business.

So how do you engage your customers?

The primary driver of all human actions, whether online of off, is emotion. As of today, emotion has yet to be mastered by AI. While automation is certainly beneficial and timesaving, you can’t afford to forget that your customers are humans who want to engage with other humans.

Here are 5 ways to engage your audience more authentically:

1. Speak to them directly.

Even though you are trying to reach as wide an audience as possible, remember that your content and social media communications should speak to individuals. Customers like to be viewed as the unique individuals that they are. Develop a voice for your brand and use it consistently to communicate with your audience. Avoid speaking to a faceless crowd.

2. Offer them something unique.

If you develop and maintain a distinct voice, your content will be unique to you, standing out from your competitors. Customers like exclusivity and having access to something that others do not have. If you provide quality content that can be found nowhere else by offering your unique insights or tackling new and unique topics, customers will gravitate to you naturally.

3. Make them think.

A great way to connect with your audience and create engagement is to simply communicate with them and ask questions. This forces them to think and then respond to you. Most people are happy to voice their opinion and share their thoughts. This can also give you some valuable insight into your audience if you ask them about your products or services. Their feedback may also provide you with new ideas for future content, thus offering even greater personalization.

4. Share your thoughts and expertise.

Just as you can learn about your audience by asking questions, you can help them connect with you by offering your own thoughts and opinions. If you are consistent in your views, it helps to build your credibility as your audience learns where you stand on various topics.

5. Humour goes a long way.

If you can make someone laugh, you are connecting with them and they are relating to what you say. If you can create content that includes inside jokes that only your audience understands, then they know you are speaking directly to them. Likewise, if you can touch their other emotions, you are creating a strong connection with them.

Engaging your audience on an emotional and personal level is a great way to build relationships and loyalty. Some other quick and simple ways of connecting might be to communicate via direct messages, liking and responding to their comments, and simply showing interest in them. Always remember that even when you are communicating with a large group of people, your words are reaching individuals who want to be treated as such.