This article is based on a keynote presentation given by Eileen at Customer Marketing Summit Las Vegas 2023.

You've heard it time and time again – client, or customer, engagement is the key ingredient to successful customer marketing programs. 

Whether you're running an advocacy program, customer advisory board, user community, or reference efforts, crafting an effective client engagement strategy is what brings all those tactics to life.  

At ICE Mortgage Technology, in the highly regulated real estate industry, we have the slightly unfair advantage of knowing exactly who our customers are. 

But this reality has shaped my philosophy that customer engagement, much like cooking, allows for flexibility and creativity based on what "ingredients" you have available. 

In this article, I explore:

What is a client engagement strategy?

Okay first up – let's talk about what we, as customer marketers, are here for: advocacy. Advocacy truly is the real deal, and client engagement strategy is your one-way ticket to that customer marketing dream.

A sustained, well-optimized client engagement strategy that punctuates the client's journey way beyond the point of purchase is key. I like to think of it as nurturing a good relationship – it takes consistent effort and a genuine vested interest in their success.

In simple terms, client engagement is really just about keeping in touch with your customers and making sure they're happy and are using your product. It all ties into turning one-time buyers into loyal brand advocates who love your product so much they want to shout it from the rooftops.

My client engagement philosophy

When it comes to customer engagement strategies, I like to compare them to the difference between cooking and baking. 

Baking requires strict adherence to recipes and measurements – too much or too little of an ingredient can ruin the final product. 

Cooking, on the other hand, is more of an art, allowing you to be flexible based on your personal tastes and what's in your refrigerator.

The same principles apply to customer marketing programs centered around engagement. We're all limited by different constraints - team resources, budget, executive buy-in, and more. 

Trying to force a rigid, one-size-fits-all recipe will likely fall flat. 

Instead, I encourage customer marketers to take a more flexible "cooking" approach. Get creative based on the ingredients (i.e. resources, customers, goals) that you have access to. 

With the right techniques and mindset, you can cook up an effective engagement strategy no matter how big or small your kitchen.