You’ve had an idea, you’ve started a business, and you’ve attracted a customer base. Next, you need to work to keep your customers happy so that they come back, and bring their friends with them! Using your small business social media platform is a successful tool to reach your audience in a new and interactive way. Rather than simply using your social outreach as promotional, you can use it to keep, enlighten, and grow your consumer audience. Be different, be unique, and be successful.
Be Personal
Small businesses are the backbone of communities. You have spent all of your time (and money) to get your business off of the ground. Most of your customers are used to seeing your face when they visit your store, business, or location. There is no doubt that you have began to build personal connections and relationships with your regulars. Being friendly and making connections is a great way to build your consumer audience but your social sites can help you raise the customer morale and expand on your relationships. When you’re posting your social content, work something more personal into the mix. Sharing a “behind the scenes” picture from your business, a #ThrowbackThursday picture of you and your family, or a fun fact about what you like to do in your time off will keep your audience captivated. Your customers will enjoy knowing more about who you are as a business (and an individual). The personal connection will draw them to your business even more.
Take the Time to Interact
Getting likes, retweets and shares is the end goal. But what can you do to keep them coming? Talk back. Be sure to comment back to your customer sites and share the love. If a local business likes your page, like them back. Keep the conversation going. There is no point to creating content if it does not produce a dialogue or an interaction with a customer. Be sure to stay current on all of your social media sites. Rather than just posting and logging off, take time each day to monitor your interaction. Being an active participant will drive your audience to be engaged.
Know Your Customers
Do you have a group of individuals who like all of your posts on Instagram, retweet all of your tweets on Twitter, or comment on your Facebook posts? If you do, remember who they are. Now we are not condoning any Facebook “lurking” (even though we all do it) but take a few minutes and look at who is actually engaging with you on your social accounts. Be sure to comment back to them or like something of their own to keep the interaction flowing. Know who they are. When they come into your store next, be sure to tell them “thanks” for their comment or share. Paying attention to detail and knowing the interaction you have with your customers will keep them motivated to share the love on your social platforms.
Remain Constant
If you have made the effort to be interactive and engaged on social media, keep the same qualities constant in your actual business. If you interact with a customer of a social site but when they come into your store you are busy and cold, a mixed-message will be sent and the customer will likely be sent away. Yes, life gets busy, and yes, it may be easier to type something nice than say it in person. If you want to build up your audience and your consumer audience, the same social media etiquette needs to be transitioned into the real-world business.
If used correctly, your social platform will help you to gain customers and build relationships with your existing audience. Once that has been established, you need to work to keep it positively growing. Your customers can be your best spokespeople and sales team. Take the time to surprise your customers by welcoming them into your personal behind-the-scenes business world and keep the conversations rolling.
We at Suite 4 have put together a check-sheet for daily social media interaction. Use this sheet to stay consistent and get your business off on the right social footing.
For more on social marketing for small businesses, read our latest blog.