Now that we've covered the first, second, and third posts in the Seventh Level of Engagement series, we're on our final stage: delight.
- Determine who and where your customer is.
- Identify how to speak to them clearly and concisely.
- Limit distractions/create a clear user journey for them.
- Ask them to participate and give a little something that's easy to do and not time consuming.
- Offer them incentives that excite them (possibly with partners or influencers).
So now what?
You've attracted your customers, and you've engaged with your customers, but that doesn't mean they won’t think about choosing someone else over you when a similar competitor comes along. We're at that phase in the relationship where you've found that you make each other’s lives easier, you like being around each other, and you think you want to take it to the next level (i.e., you want to go steady or get married...you get the picture).
In Comes Critical Engagement
The next bucket is the most important bucket to activate your customers into brand loyalists/brand advocates and brand supporters. It's what sets you apart from a company selling a product to a brand making a difference in the way people think about their lives.
Level 6 is called critical engagement.
I'm inspired, I'm brand loyal, I'm all in.
| Level 6: Critical Engagement |
Action: Our hotel is committed to sustainability, and we hear stories of how our guests change their habits after staying in our property. |
| Critical engagement is expressed when audience members are inspired to set goals and transform their lives in order to achieve their objectives. |
Question: How are we sharing our values to motivate others? |
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Goal: Develop a user-generated content social media campaign. |
The Seventh Level
The holy grail of engagement
Some examples of literate thinking/the Seventh Level are as follows:
- People—without Harley Davidson’s request—willingly get Harley Davidson tattoos. They get these tattoos not only because Harley Davidson makes great motorcycles, but because of what Harley Davidson stands for: freedom, rebellion, etc.
- Beyonce’s beyhive is absolutely a seventh level phenomenon I've ever witnessed. Anytime anyone says anything remotely negative about Beyonce, her beyhive comes to her rescue, commenting on the person who disrespected Beyonce’s Instagram feed with bee emoijs. This has happened rather often, as they feel that when someone attacks Beyonce, they're getting attacked, too.
The Ultimate Goal
The Seventh Level is the goal for all organizations. We're craving meaningful connections with each other and the world. By striving for the highest level of engagement and focusing on delighting our customers, we're ensuring long-term, sustainable relationships with cutomers that not only will buy from us but will ask others to buy from us.
And that wraps up the Seventh Level of Engagement series! Now go start attracting, engaging, and delighting your customers.
