It’s one thing for your company to gain new customers, but it’s another to know how to keep them coming back for more. Social media is the most effective method for brands to directly connect with consumers in real time. However, having a social media presence is not enough — you need to use these platforms to engage with your audience. A study by J.D. Power and Associates found that 87% of customers said their likelihood of purchasing from a company depended on positive online interactions with that company.
The following outlines five ways to build and improve customer relationships via social media.
- Listen to customer feedback. If your audience feels like their voice is heard, they are more likely to trust your brand. Giving your customers an outlet where they can voice their opinions and concerns, and then taking action based on what they say, is imperative to creating strong relationships. If your social media accounts have a lot of followers and you find it hard to keep up with every comment or message, you may benefit from a dedicated service account to answer questions in a quick and more efficient manner.
- Use a relatable voice. When posting on social media, you want your voice in posts and captions to feel comfortable and relatable to your audience. If you talk how you would talk to a friend, your audience will feel like your brand is more approachable and be inclined to interact. This also applies to replying and interacting with your audience on social media. Thank people for reaching out or commenting on social media, and use their first name or handle to make the message feel more personal.
- Share user-generated content. When you have loyal customers, they’ll spread word of your business for you to the people around them. Reposting user-generated content is a great way to show your product or service in action. Your customers tagging your brand in a post or showing themselves using your product or service is essentially free advertising and shows potential new customers the product in action and what real people think of it.
- Host contests and giveaways. Social media contests and giveaways are great ways to engage your audience and attract new customers. Using the “tag a friend and follow us” method for entering these contests is the simplest way to reach new people. Users will likely tag friends or family that they think would like your brand or company, and then these new friends may also feel inclined to enter, resulting in a chain reaction of exponentially more and more people participating.
- Use analytics to track your stats. Breaking down and evaluating social media analytics such as comments, likes, reposts and more can help you determine which types of content are more successful with your audience. You can also monitor trending online topics and keywords, and curate your content around those to reach more people.
When creating strong social media relationships, your aim should be to post relevant content on a regular basis. Falling behind in posting or engaging with your audience will force your customers to move on to brands that they feel do listen and interact with them. If you’re looking for help building these online relationships, rAVe [CREATE] has proven success in social media marketing for the AV industry.
