How to improve your customer engagement program with breakthrough touchpoints

By: Sarah VanDerHart

Looking for new ways to better engage customers? We get it.

Customer engagement trends and best practices are constantly evolving. As we see brands shift their customer engagement strategies to focus on specific customer needs, we want to empower marketing teams to work smarter, not harder. 

That means reevaluating how you’re engaging existing customers and considering a partnership with a company that can help you elevate the customer experience.

Customer Engagement InfographicClick/tap to enlarge.

Engaging existing customers

It’s common knowledge that it’s less expensive to retain a customer than go after a new one, and it’s an especially efficient strategy when paired with a customizable customer engagement program. It can also result in some big wins, like deepening customers’ emotional connection with your brand and increasing customer retention and revenue.

Related: Foster stronger relationships with a customer engagement platform

As marketing executives are tasked to do more with less, they’re leveraging strategic partners to help them effectively reach customers. Customer engagement areas, including customer segmentation, event and incentive travel experiences, and ultra-creative ‘surprise and delight’ communications are all areas a strategic partner can help navigate.

Expanding your team’s capabilities with the right partner leads to more effective processes and give you more time to focus on other business goals. 

Related: 3 steps marketers must take to improve customer engagement 

Leveraging breakthrough touchpoints 

Our team works closely with clients to get results during impressionable moments in the customer buying journey. By using breakthrough touchpoints when it matters most, brands can effectively reach their customers in meaningful ways. 

If you’re not already, consider using beyond-digital breakthrough touchpoints like:

  • Mailing creative packages that surprise and delight customers after the purchase
  • Giving customers the opportunity to earn an incentive trip experience they couldn’t create on their own, which leads to strong emotional bonds with the brand
  • Reaching out to customers after a poor experience to authentically apologize 

It’s these tactics’ timing, creativity and personalization that allow brands to break through the digital noise and create deeper meaning for their customers. 


For a deeper dive on how to apply breakthrough touchpoints throughout the customer journey, check out our infographic.

Client success using breakthrough touchpoints

To help spur engagement ideas for your organization, check out our Breakthrough Touchpoints Portfolio. We’ve included which breakthrough tactics our clients found success with during the buyer’s journey. The client stories highlight several notable results, including:

1. Increase in sales

An automotive manufacturer saw a 400% ROI and a 15–20% increase in sales year over year by offering an incentive trip accompanied by a strategic direct mail campaign that generated excitement. 

2. Brand recovery

A financial services company saw a 75%+ redemption rate, positively engaging with 90,000+ customers, resulting in hundreds of positive comments after their efforts to resolve a customer service issue. 

3. Repeat business

A pest control company saw nearly $50K in revenue and a 9:1 ROI after mailing customers a “dinner on us” gift in exchange for renewing their subscription. 

To earn these results, our clients trusted our process, starting with a client discovery meeting that led to the creation of custom communications and fulfillment. Whether you need to develop a new engagement program or amplify your existing one, we can help. 

Related: A breakthrough touchpoint restores customer relationships

Next steps in elevating the customer experience 

There are a lot of factors that determine what customer engagement strategies will work for your organization. Take your time finding what breakthrough touchpoints you can use from our portfolio and share them with your team to inspire, retain and revitalize your customer base. And, if you could benefit from a strategic partner, reach out to set up a discovery meeting.

Download our Breakthrough Customer Touchpoints Portfolio.

Free Breakthrough Touchpoint Portfolio Download
Sarah VanDerHart
Sarah VanDerHart

With over 12 years of experiential marketing and strategy experience, Sarah serves as the Customer Solutions Insights and Strategy Leader. As a leader of award-winning marketing teams, she thrives on delivering results-driven strategies that align with market trends to build emotional connections between customers and brands. Outside of work, you'll find her hosting a fun gathering with friends, running around with her husband and their two young daughters, or cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones!