What’s the biggest mistake a company can make on their social media page? Leave it blank. That’s right. A blank business social media page is the equivalent of throwing away free advertising.
What’s worse, you are telling the world you either don’t have time to interact with others online, don’t have the skills, or don’t care. And none of these things look good for your business.
If your business has a blank social media page, we’d highly recommend you to put it to change that now. To help you get started, here are ten effective ways to communicate with your customers using social media.
Ten Genius Ways to Communicate with Customers Online
Before social media, the only way a customer could get in touch with a company was by calling customer service and then hoping they’ll be connected to the right person. But it’s time-consuming and it can deter people from reaching out.
With social media, communication between both the company and the customer can be streamlined. Here’s how:
1. Share News Instantly
When it comes to marketing, social media is a godsend. With it, you can share news about your latest products, services, or company with your audience instantly. All you have to do is make a post, hit publish, and voila! Done.
With social media, you can reach thousands or millions of people in seconds and anytime you want. Using social media to share news also shows your customers that your company is contemporary and relevant.
2. Target Better Leads
Let’s say your company sells men’s products but you’re learning through social media that 70 percent of your viewers are female. What does that say about your product or brand? Could you be missing out on opportunities with female clients?
Social media can provide valuable information about our customers. Use it to help you understand your market more and come up with even better advertising strategies for the future.
3. Open Up Another Line of Communication
If you don’t have a contact center, a social media page is a great way for your customers to reach you directly. All they have to do is post their questions online and wait for you to answer. In order for this work, however, you must make sure you check your social media pages regularly.
In addition, if the questions they ask are what other customers have been wondering about too, then they’ll see the answers as well. This can save you costs in hiring customer service representatives and time.
4. Share Personal Stories
Do you know what customers love to know about companies? The people behind them! Whether you have a small team or a large team, customers love knowing who the faces are behind them. It makes them feel more connected to the brand.
Try featuring stories of your employees on your social media pages once a week or month. You can share fun facts about them, how they became a part of the company, or how they personally use the products you sell. It’ll make your brand seem much more personal.
5. Learn From Your Customers
If you have a social media page, it’s very important that you check what your customers are saying about your company in the comments section. Are they positive or negative comments? Whatever it is, don’t ignore them.
Thank the customers who leave positive feedback and use the negatives ones to improve your products or services. Acknowledge both so your customers can see that you are listening and that you care.
6. Interact With Other Brands
Are you collaborating with other brands or are there brands that complement your products or services? If so, agree to use social media to promote each other. Give each other a shout out on social media and you’ll both gain new fans.
Social media for business isn’t just for you to connect with your customers, it’s also for you to connect with other brands as well.
7. Share Helpful Tips
Studies show people spend an average of two hours on social media so you might as well put helpful information on there. Share daily tips about how to use your products better or quotes to inspire your audience. People love reading short and digestible information that makes their lives better.
It’s also a great way to remind your customers you’re there and stay active on social media without too much effort.
8. Thank Your Customers
How about giving away free products to customers that follow you on social media?
Ask them to share stories about how your product or services have helped them and ask them to tag their friends in their posts. This is an excellent way for you to learn more about your customers, get testimonials, and reward your most loyal customers.
9. Apologize
We all make mistakes. If your company said or did something that offended customers, they might write about it on your social media profile. If their comments are valid, respond and apologize.
Many businesses have made the mistake of writing inappropriate or inaccurate posts on social media before either because they were rushing or they didn’t do their research beforehand. Always take your time to fact check your posts. But if it does happen, apologize and move on.
10. Damage Control
Sometimes competitors might spread incorrect information or rumors about our businesses.
If this happens, you can use social media to address them. You don’t need to call out who did it specifically, but a quick Tweet or Facebook post with the truth can easily set things straight and dispel any rumors floating around.
Post Away!
With the right tools and resources to help you manage social media, social media doesn’t have to be hard.
Start by trying all these different ways to communicate with your customers and see how they respond. Take note of what works and what doesn’t to continue improving your future posts.
If you would like more tips and tricks on how to use social media to boost your business and connect with your customers even better, check out our website for more!
