“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.”
– Seth Godin, Entrepreneur
Think of your top three favorite brands. What makes them stand out? Sure, you love their products or their services, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg—even if you don’t realize it.
On a deeper level, these brands resonate with you personally. They align with your values, keep you engaged with their content, and deliver memorable, personalized experiences that keep you coming back for more.
That’s the power of effective brand engagement. In this article, we’ll show you how to do the same. Read on to discover how to create interactive, meaningful brand experiences that grab attention and drive measurable results.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What is brand engagement?
At its core, brand engagement refers to the connection a brand nurtures with its consumers by offering value above and beyond the products or services it sells. A great brand engagement marketing strategy takes your company from a functional provider to one that holds an emotional space within the hearts and minds of your customers—perhaps even helping them feel a sense of community.
When brands invest in building meaningful connections, customers notice. These efforts lead to tangible benefits, like increased sales and customer retention, and intangible rewards, such as positive sentiment and brand advocacy.
To put things in context, let’s take Starbucks as an example. This global coffeehouse has mastered brand engagement through a multi-pronged approach: its loyalty app, active social media presence, emotive storytelling, and unwavering brand consistency. Together, these elements have helped Starbucks cultivate a loyal, cult-like following.
Brand awareness vs. brand engagement vs. brand loyalty
Brand awareness, engagement, and loyalty might sound similar at first glance, but they serve very different purposes within a brand’s integrated marketing strategy. Each stage represents a unique phase in the customer journey, with its own function and set of goals.
| Concept | Definition | Purpose | Example |
| Brand awareness | The initial stage where customers become aware of your brand | Helps you reach potential customers and share your products or services | Using social media ads to introduce your products to your target audience, building familiarity in the process |
| Brand engagement | The ongoing relationship you nurture with customers | Builds stronger relationships with prospects and customers by encouraging interactions | Engaging customers through personalized text messages and emails, social media contests, and app notifications to keep your brand front of mind |
| Brand loyalty | The emotional connection that established customers develop with your brand | Encourages repeat customers to keep coming back and become brand advocates | Harnessing a rewards-based app to encourage customers to purchase from you again and again |
First, you’ll start with brand awareness—making customers aware of your brand. Once you’ve achieved this, the idea is to move your customers from “aware” to “engaged” through effective engagement marketing. For example, after seeing your Instagram ad, they’ll ideally follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, or even make a purchase.
Customer loyalty refers to the point at which a one-time or occasional customer transforms into a habitual, repeat buyer. Tools like personalized rewards, coupon codes, exclusive content, and freebies are all invaluable engagement tactics that encourage long-term loyalty.
Why brands should care about brand engagement
Only 15% of companies currently utilize value enhancement tactics, and brand engagement needs to be successful. That means a lot of brands out there probably think they’re winning at brand engagement when, in reality, they’ve got a lot of work to do.
Understanding why this work matters is paramount for any business looking to build more meaningful, lasting connections with customers. Here’s a closer look at why building brand engagement is essential for long-term success.
Build deeper emotional connections with your audience
Brand engagement goes far beyond pushing products or offering discounts. It’s about fostering genuine, authentic relationships with your audience and connecting with them on an emotional level.
Take brands like Nike, Dove, and Whole Foods. People don’t just buy their products; they’re drawn to their values, their purpose, and the stories they tell. These brands inspire strong emotions, like empowerment and trust, which make customers feel good about their purchases and proud to buy again and again.
The same principle applies to your brand. Research shows that 70% of customer decisions are influenced by emotional factors like brand preference and connection, while a mere 30% are based on rational considerations like price. This highlights how vital it is to build emotional connections with your audience. When your customers feel invested in your brand’s story, they’re much more likely to become loyal customers.
Increase repeat purchases and lifetime value
A great customer engagement strategy allows you to deliver an “always-on” relationship with your customers. This keeps your brand front of mind when they decide to make a purchase—and perhaps entices them to buy from you when they weren’t planning to.
More than that, successful brand engagement can sway consumers towards buying from you even when competitors offer lower prices or better deals. In fact, 63% say they will pay more to shop with the brands they’re loyal to, showing just how important customer interactions are for the bottom line.
Generate organic advocacy and referrals
Strong brand engagement doesn’t just deepen loyalty with your current customer base—it fuels organic growth, too. If customers have a positive experience with your brand, they’re five times more likely to recommend them to friends and family.
That’s the magic of social proof. When you spark meaningful moments of engagement, you leave a lasting impression on your customers and nudge them toward becoming brand advocates.
Best practices to build stronger brand harmonies with your audience
Ready to elevate your brand engagement strategy? Here are some best practices to keep in mind.
Personalize messaging to resonate with your audience
Personalization is the bedrock of great brand engagement. As Marigold’s 2024 Global Consumer Trends Index shows, 85% of consumers say their favorite brand treats them like an individual.
That said, here are some personalization tips to keep in mind:
- Get the basics right: Always include first names in email marketing and SMS communications.
- Segment your audience: Group your customers based on factors like demographics, purchase history, and browsing behavior. This will lay the foundation for personalized engagement opportunities.
- Offer personalized rewards: Celebrate special milestones like birthdays and holidays with exclusive offers like “Happy Birthday! Enjoy 25% off your next order.”
- Create exclusive content: Provide content that aligns with customer interests—think beauty brands collaborating with an influencer to create makeup tutorials for new product launches.
- Send post-purchase thank-yous: After a customer makes a purchase, send a personalized thank-you note or follow-up message, and include suggestions for complementary items or care tips for their new product.
Foster two-way communication through interactive content
Leading brands understand that engagement is a two-way street. In addition to proactively reaching out to their customers, they’re also eager to listen to their perspectives and truly create a community.
Thanks to social media, it’s never been easier to achieve this. Interactive tools like live polls, quizzes, and Q&As give your audience the power to share their thoughts and preferences while providing your brand with real-time insights into what matters most to them.
Social media competitions are another brilliant way to boost engagement while generating valuable user-generated content (UGC). You might encourage followers to share photos or videos using your product, with a chance to win prizes. This is a simple way to create excitement and drive participation while expanding your social media engagement and reach.
Strengthen your presence with experiential marketing
Looking beyond the digital realm, in-person customer experiences are another critical brand engagement tactic for strengthening relationships. Experiential marketing events like pop-up stores, workshops, and exclusive brand activations are a surefire way to create unforgettable brand moments.
An e-commerce retailer could host a pop-up store complete with its latest collection, plus free snacks and goodie bags. No doubt, customers will walk away feeling delighted, valued, and excited to engage with the brand again.
The impact doesn’t end when the event is over, either. By incorporating photo booths, hashtag campaigns, or even live streaming, you can amplify the reach of your event and generate even more opportunities for connection.
Build loyalty programs that encourage repeat engagement
While it’s not surprising that 79% of American consumers expect to receive discounts in exchange for joining a loyalty program, what you might find interesting is that 80% claim that they purchase from brands more frequently after joining.
In an age where inflation is on the rise and the cost of living is ever-increasing, providing your consumers with next-level value is a must.
The beauty of rewards-based programs is their flexibility and potential for creativity. Many brands start with simple points-based systems, where customers earn points for every dollar spent. Once they hit a certain threshold, they can redeem those points for a free product or discount. Other programs offer tiered systems like bronze, silver, and gold, with each level unlocking unique perks.
With loyalty programs becoming increasingly popular, it’s important to ensure yours delivers genuine value to stand out from the crowd. To that end, think about ways to keep things fun and engaging year-round. Perhaps you could offer holiday-themed promotions or reward customers for in-store visits with limited-time prizes.
Use influencer partnerships or user-generated content
Influencer marketing is a tried-and-tested method for reaching new audiences. To make influencer marketing work, you need to be strategic about the partners you choose. Look for influencers who align with your brand’s values and identity—they should feel like a natural fit. That way, you’re more likely to engage with audiences who are receptive and primed to convert.
User-generated content (UGC) is another incredible way to enhance your brand’s credibility and build trust with your audience. If you’re lucky, your customers may already be posting about your products organically. If not, you can encourage UGC by running competitions and prize draws that motivate your followers to create content to improve brand sentiment.
How Bitly can help you measure brand engagement
Brand engagement has many moving parts. To measure it effectively and accurately, you’ll need the right tools at your disposal. That’s where Bitly comes in.
Here’s how Bitly’s solutions help you simplify and enhance brand engagement measurement while promoting and maintaining brand consistency.
Bitly Codes to track scan interactions
Today’s customers shift seamlessly between the online and offline worlds. To engage your audience wherever they are, your brand engagement strategy needs to do the same.
QR Codes help you do exactly that. These scannable 2D barcodes offer a convenient way for your audiences to connect with your brand’s online presence during in-person experiences like events or shopping in-store.
With Bitly Codes, it’s quick and simple to design custom QR Codes that incorporate your brand colors and logo. Not only do these codes create a meaningful point of connection, but they also equip you with data-backed insights.
With Bitly Analytics, you’ll be able to track crucial metrics like scan rates, locations (city/country), and device type. These insights can help you understand when and where your customers are engaging with your brand so you can adjust your campaign strategy to connect with even more customers.
Bitly Links for actionable click insights
Bitly Links allows you to turn long, messy URLs into compact, branded short links. They work exactly the same as the original long links, but they’re shorter, more polished, and activate brand recall instantly.
You can brand the back half of the link and even add custom domains to Bitly Links for better brand consistency. In addition to helping you build brand trust, these links have the added benefit of being trackable—just like Bitly Codes.
In the Bitly Analytics dashboard, you can see precisely how many clicks your links receive, where those engagements are coming from, and even which device types your audience uses.
This helps you understand what’s truly working in your campaigns—which calls-to-action spark the most interest, how people interact with your brand, and where referrals come from. Armed with this data, you can focus your attention on the content and channels that drive engagement and redirect your branded links to boost results.
Bitly Pages to enhance entire campaigns
Nearly 8 in 10 consumers think a brand’s social media presence has an impact on trust. Crucial to this trust is consistency. But with brands managing so many social media platforms, channels, and campaigns, maintaining cohesiveness can feel like an uphill battle.
Bitly Pages offers a solution. This no-code, mobile-friendly tool makes it easy to create landing pages that showcase your brand’s most relevant content while staying true to your brand identity. Customize your pages to reflect your brand’s color scheme, fonts, and messaging, ensuring consistency across every touchpoint.
Bitly Pages can be used for any purpose—from driving newsletter sign-ups to promoting events—making it a powerful tool for enhancing brand engagement. With Bitly Analytics insights into views, clicks, traffic sources, and visitor locations, you can continuously improve and optimize your campaigns.
Elevate your brand engagement strategy with Bitly today
Brand engagement is about delivering meaningful, personalized experiences that spark lasting connections with your customers. By consistently offering added value, listening to customers, and crafting authentic, relevant experiences, brands can build lasting loyalty.
The key lies in taking a holistic approach: harnessing a combination of loyalty programs, social media campaigns, and experiential events to motivate your audience to connect with you regularly.
Bitly’s solutions make sparking meaningful connections easier by providing intuitive, trackable tools to measure and enhance engagement. With branded links, QR Codes, and customizable landing pages, you can streamline your engagement strategy, measure success, and deliver personalized content that turns customers into advocates.
Ready to connect with and engage your customers like never before? Find the right Bitly plan for you today.
