CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT

Digital engagement in 2023 could be a whole new marketing ballgame​

By our News Team | 2022

Strategies needed to optimise digital commitment from consumers have shifted as the global business and geopolitical landscape changes.

Geopolitical uncertainty, inflation and the looming threat of recession mean that few businesses feel entirely comfortable about their short to medium-term growth prospects.

Within this environment of uncertainty, digital engagement remains crucial. But just as the global business environment has again shifted, so have the factors driving the importance of digital communication.

Consumer engagement

Photo by Edmond Dantès from Pexels

“This growth and change of priorities mean that the strategies needed to optimise digital engagement have shifted too. And they will continue to move,” says Brent Haumann, Managing Director of digital customer communications firm Tilte (formerly Striata).

He suggests several key strategies the businesses should implement to optimise digital engagement in 2023.

  1. Double down on engagement as online and social growth slows

Today, there are an estimated five-billion people around the planet who are online. With the planet’s population having passed eight-billion people this year, that suggests  there’s still a lot of room left for growth. But growth is stalling. 

At the same time, it’s estimated that more than 75% of eligible populations already use social media.

For organisations, this slowing growth suggests that there’s more to be gained from doubling down on digital engagement with the customers already on your digital channels than persuading the people who aren’t on them to join.

Remember, if you get engagement right, you’ll get to the point where your most loyal customers become brand advocates and bring in new customers.

  1. Don’t rip out the carpets

Similarly, in the face of overwhelming change, it can be all too tempting for businesses to overhaul their digital engagement practices completely. But that’s unnecessary, expensive and may even set the business further back than it was before.

A far better approach is for the organisation to maximise and complement its existing platforms. This allows it to continually improve engagement and adapt as it goes, rather than having to start from scratch.

  1. Always be where your customers are

Maximising existing platforms does not, however, mean that organisations should be averse to exploring new ones. Research shows that, even as internet penetration has grown globally, the average time a person spends online hasn’t.

That means that any time consumers start engaging in a new online activity, it’s likely because they’re spending less time doing something else online. 

Companies need to be aware of these ‘new’ online activities and whether they can leverage them for engagement. That does not, for example, mean setting up a stall in the Metaverse ‘just in case’.

What it does mean is keeping an eye on shifting consumer behaviour and ensuring that you’re prepared to build a presence on a new platform if need be.

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