• by John Hoholik , Op-Ed Contributor, October 6, 2015

Technology has changed the way brands and consumers interact with each other, ultimately giving consumers the power. With new channels, such as wearable technology devices, brands have the opportunity to create tailored messages to each consumer – creating a new customer engagement channel and establishing a more personalized customer experience.

According to a recent survey discussing the impact wearable technology will have on customer engagement, nearly 70% of consumers say they are ready to engage with brands through wearable technology devices.

Two-thirds of consumers surveyed use their wearable technology daily, while one-third of Millennials plan to purchase a wearable tech device in 2015.

With the rise of wearable technology devices, how can marketers take advantage of this new channel to successfully engage with their consumers? Here are four ways your brand can engage with consumers through wearable technology devices.

App, Email or Social?

Wearable tech devices bring traditional and digital engagement tools into one platform.

Marketers must decide which engagement tool is best for their current and potential customers and build a tailored customer engagement strategy.

First, marketers need to ask: Are your consumers accessing social media sites on their wearable technology devices? Do they prefer to engage with brands through a designated branded app?

Brands can develop a variety of wearable technology strategies to share and interact with consumers, but knowing how their consumers want to receive the content will make this engagement channel successful for the brand.

Know Your Wearable Devices

Wearable technology devices bring a new opportunity for brands to establish another touch point and create brand loyalists. For marketers to begin incorporating wearable technology engagement into their strategy and stay ahead of their competitors, they need to understand which wearable technology devices their customers are using and how they want to be engaged on those devices.

From fitness monitors to smart watches and smart clothes, marketers must understand which devices attract their target audience to establish an authentic relationship. For example, 68% of women say they are most excited about fitness wearable technology, along with 56% of baby boomers, per a Wearable Technology survey.

By having a clear understanding of consumers’ engagement preferences, brands can gain real-time insights into their customers’ likes and dislikes, allowing them to learn more about their customers on a personal level. Plus, the personalized content is an opportunity for consumers to easily share it and be part of the interaction.

Center of the Interaction

Thanks to wearable technology devices, consumers are becoming the center of interaction. By making consumers the center of interaction, brands will create brand loyalists, can influence purchase decisions and have insights in their consumers’ preferences.

Consumers are no longer interested in brands pushing generic content -- whether through traditional channels or wearable technology devices -- marketers need to consider the relevancy of the content for each consumer. According to a recent survey, half of all consumers said they would buy wearable tech device so brands can send alerts and have more insights into their lifestyle.

Tailor It

Part of delivering a personalized wearable technology device strategy is creating tailored content and using the right delivery tool. Understanding how consumers want to receive your brand’s content shows that you truly understand your consumers’ preferences. For instance, if a consumer does not use social media through their wearable technology device, marketers must create and share tailored content through a different channel that will be beneficial that consumer.

Digital engagement will continue to evolve as new technology emerges, and brands must create personalized content, tailor the content delivery, and put consumers at the center of the engagement.

As the survey mentioned, 70% of consumers are ready to begin engaging with their favorite brands through wearable technology devices. Is your brand ready to integrate wearable technology into your strategy and engage with consumers?