It goes without saying that a business needs its customers. But in today’s hyper competitive online marketplace, taking care of your customer base is more challenging than ever. Customer engagement is a crucial part of any business owner’s success, and proper communication is key to managing the relationship. Advances in technology have made communicating easier than ever, and social media is an integral part of our business lives – allowing customer engagement in ways we never dreamed of just a few years ago.
Social media platforms have become immensely popular with businesses of all sizes. Even those on a smaller budget can market their brand and take advantage of the effective engagement and communication social media provides. For those who may not be up to speed on the ways social media can help you to grow your business and keep your customers happy, we’ve assembled a quick guide.
Keys to Customer Engagement
Rapport Building: Customers are far more likely to do business with an organization that they feel a connection to. Social media allows you to interact and build rapport in ways traditional advertising never could. From having executives answer comments, to posting photos of your team, to having some fun with contests – your customer engagement can be revolutionized and transform your image.
Recognition Builds Loyalty : The customers who follow you on social media deserve some special recognition, right? Creating a culture of recognizing loyal customers via promotions, online only specials, or social media contests will help you to not only make your customers feel special, but will help to draw in even more people to follow your brand and increase customer engagement.
Go Beyond the Logo: One of the main benefits of social media is that it gives you the opportunity to share your company culture, its passions, and its personality. A logo or brand name can only do so much – but relevant and engaging posts will show your customers who you really are. For small local business, sharing about your community involvement is a great way to build a loyal following.
Elevate Customer Service: Efficient communication with your client base is critical to your success. Poor customer service and long response times can sink you pretty quickly. On social media platforms, you can provide rapid responses to customers, and let them know that their concerns and issues matter to you.
Great for our Customers, But What About Us?
Companies with smart and engaging social media strategies benefit in countless ways. You can speak to a very targeted client base, build up your audience, and have your customers help with marketing by sharing your posts. This ripple effect sometimes “goes viral”, and has been a boon to many a business person or small local company.
For those not familiar with the evolution of social media, they may think these platforms are silly time wasters where people share photos of their kids and fight about politics. But social media is one of the most powerful ways for companies to elevate customer engagement without spending tens of thousands of dollars, In fact, the cost of hiring a social media manager who is solely dedicated to growing your business through these channels is often far less than the costs of outdated, traditional marketing with far less effectiveness. Social media also allows you to quickly get the word out in times of emergency or crisis, which is a huge improvement over leaving your clients in the dark – and moving onto one of your competitors.
Increasing customer engagement through social media is not only recommended in today’s world, it is essential.
Alliance IT employs a team of professionals who work around the clock to ensure that your business is productive, and your systems are efficient and cost effective. For an onsite consultation regarding managed services, cloud services, or IT growth strategy, call us today.
