Have a Conversation
All of these social networks are fantastic, at least on some level, at allowing for dialogue to happen. You need to keep in mind that you wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for your customers, so it wouldn’t hurt to talk to them and have them feel like they are being heard.
That said, for the most part if you’re providing quality products and/or services, the customers will still follow you, but it’s always better to make your business more personable and transparent. Customers tend to appreciate it when they feel that they’re talking to actual people rather than an entity that’s strictly about business.
Solicit Feedback
This ties into having a conversation. Ask for your customer’s feedback. Are they satisfied? Do they have a suggestion or idea? What do they like or dislike about your products and/or services? Starting this kind of conversation can be absolutely essential in making sure that your business is doing the right thing. No one can live in a vacuum, especially when it comes to what the customer wants.
It’s a pretty basic concept. If your company is doing something that is undesired by the customer, it ends up hurting both profits and reputation, especially if customers start spreading the word about bad service. This is why feedback is important—if you know what’s wrong, you can take the steps to fix the problem.
The worst thing you can do is pretend that you already know what the customer wants. In some cases you might be right, but it’s also something that you can easily find out for sure. Don’t guess if you can be certain.
Go Above and Beyond
Say that you’re engaging in a public conversation with one of your customers, and they’re having a problem with your product or service. At some point, you end up fixing the problem but you realize that the customer might have reservations about your products. You can do something like offer them some kind of upgrade, discount, or credit towards something else to compensate for their problems. Not only does this make the customer more satisfied, it also boosts your reputation with people who happen to catch this conversation on whichever social network it’s posted on. Everyone will see how far you’re willing to go to keep everything running smoothly, which will build loyalty.
Promote Yourself
This should be a given, but social networks are also great at allowing you to promote yourself and your products. You can make posts that announce a new product/service, bring a discount or coupon code to attention, start a simple contest with enticing rewards, and so on. Promotion is, after all, a form of advertising, although perhaps less imposing. It’s also useful for informing people about what your business has to offer. If you don’t tell them, they won’t know.
Say that you’re engaging in a public conversation with one of your customers, and they’re having a problem with your product or service. At some point, you end up fixing the problem but you realize that the customer might have reservations about your products. You can do something like offer them some kind of upgrade, discount, or credit towards something else to compensate for their problems. Not only does this make the customer more satisfied, it also boosts your reputation with people who happen to catch this conversation on whichever social network it’s posted on. Everyone will see how far you’re willing to go to keep everything running smoothly, which will build loyalty.
Remember, just because you work in a “boring” industry, doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun! Social Media is all about fun, so keep at it and think outside the box. Eventually, you’ll find you have more followers than you know what to do with!
