It is almost unquestionable that one of the best tools available to today’s entrepreneur is social media.
Sites like Twitter and Facebook enable business owners to cultivate instantaneous connections with their customer bases all day, every day. Because you have such a powerful tool at your disposal, you should be sure to use it wisely.
Don’t just post whatever comes to mind – instead, use specific strategies that will help you engage with your followers.
Below, I’ve outlined 7 awesome ways to use social media in order to help you engage with your clients:
Show Your Personality
An important part of customer service is making connections, and an important part of making connections is authenticity. Your social media posts should give followers insight into what makes you tick.
When you announce a sale, share a silly meme that illustrates your excitement.
These doses of genuine personality will remind your customers that your business is not merely a grouping of products and services, but a dynamic entity run by real people.
Share Your Passions
Social media gives you a platform to express your personal interests.
One person who makes use of this advantage is financial executive, Patrick Dwyer, a well-known wealth management professional in the Miami area. As one would expect, he uses his social networks to share financial and business tips.
However, one of his personal passions is cooking with his children. And, he also frequently shares posts relating to the benefits of this activity.
Sharing your unique hobbies makes you stand out, which can hook the attention of new clients. Self-disclosure also establishes trust with clients and makes you seem more approachable.
Find Out What Your Customers Are Looking For
Got questions for your customers? Just ask them!
While using social media to poll your followers is not necessarily as accurate as a scientific survey, it does allow you to tally the opinions of the people who care enough to respond to your queries.
There are various ways you can use social media to gather information about your followers’ preferences. Post pictures of potential new designs and ask clients to like the ones they prefer, or hold contests to name new products.
However you approach this task, your end goal is the same: give the people what they want.
Build An Open Culture
According to Forbes, one of the best things about social media is that it allows companies to create open cultures.
Within your company, you can use social media to facilitate more open communication between employees. This encourages the fearless generation and discussion of new ideas.
If you can achieve this kind of culture, then you should use social media to share as much of it as you can with your clients.?
Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of corporate secretiveness and would prefer the companies they patronize to be up front with them about their operations, processes and even employee working conditions.
If you can offer your customers this kind of transparency, they will be grateful for it.
Be Swift In Your Responses
When your clients have concerns, they want to be heard. Social networks are one more tool you can use to collect and address these concerns.
There is definitely a place for having a competent customer support phone line.
However, some customers are more comfortable with social media communication.
Due to the instantaneous nature of these sites, you should make it a priority to respond to customer concerns as quickly as possible.
They will appreciate your attention and accessibility, and your company will benefit from having more ways to be notified of issues.
Validate Your Followers
Why should your clients be the ones doing all the work?
Make it a two-way relationship by liking, re-tweeting or commenting on your followers’ posts. Anytime they are applicable to your business; especially if they tag you or mention you in some way.
Research shows that social media use releases oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding. It follows that if your customers interact with you via your social network pages. They will feel more bonded with you, resulting in increased loyalty.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Some research theorizes that part of the appeal of social media is that it enables users to present the world with the most favorable version of themselves.
Try incorporating this idea into your business’s posts and shares. Putting your best (virtual) forward does not mean deceiving your clients. Instead, it means taking the time to carefully build and project an image that truly embodies your company’s values.
You cannot have a business without people to support it. Using social media to connect with your current clients and attract new ones enables you to build your brand and increase customer loyalty.
Not only is it an effective marketing and research tool, but it is also fun and intuitive to use.
Those tweets, comments, likes and emoji’s are not going anywhere soon, so embrace them, have fun with them, and use them to create the best business that you can.
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