In today’s market the use of social media has made a shift from luxury to necessity. Social media has become vital to companies for a number of reasons and because of this the emphasis has shifted from why you should be on social media to how you should be using it. There are lots of ways to use social media, each with varying outcomes. Although the techniques differ substantially there are a few that you should be using regardless of your social media plan. Here are three ways you should be using social media to connect with your customers.
Researching Your Customers
It’s important to remember in all things social media and marketing that it’s all about the customer. Social media gives us an interesting opportunity to peek inside the lives of our customers and learn about the ways they think and act. This opportunity is not one to be wasted and that’s why you should spend almost as much time watching your follower’s feeds on Facebook and Twitter as you do on your own.
Obtaining this knowledge is key to creating engaging content for your followers. By observing and using proper analytics you can hone in on exactly what kind of information they want to see you curating and creating. By following up on their interests you will increase your followers substantially.
Providing Good Customer Service
Social media platforms are a place people love to vent their frustration about everyday things in life including your business. Finding these frustrated customers and responding to them in a good way can be the difference between a horrible review and a customer for life. This area is one space that social media really gives companies a lot of power. Historically there were very few methods for finding and mending these broken relationships with customers but there’s finally a way.
Twitter is extremely effective at finding disgruntled customers and through the correct tactics you can find angry tweets and turn them positive. This form of damage control just might be your most powerful tool for maintaining your brand’s reputation with its customers.
Becoming The Expert
Another area social media excels but is commonly underused is its ability to establish you as an expert in your field. By watching for questions, comments, and concerns about information relating to your industry and responding to them people will begin to recognize you as an intelligent business or person in your industry. This serves two purposes when it comes to your brand, giving you credibility and gaining new customers.
By making it known you’re an expert people will begin associating you with your industry. That connection can be invaluable, when it comes time to create a new website, finding a new hotel, or building a new marketing plan you want people to think of you first. This also spills over into gaining new customers through the one who establishes you as the expert. Once someone sees you as a leading authority in your field they’re more likely to recommend you to their friends and use your services themselves. Overall, this technique holds a lot of power to build your brand to a recognizable status.
Social media is exactly what it says, a social distribution of information. The most important takeaway from this is that it must remain social. Interacting with your followers by answering questions, providing customer service, and acknowledging their needs is a necessity to do well on any social media platform. Combining these techniques will not only cement you as an authority in your field but also help to build relationships with your customers and find new ones in the process.