Imagine that you had the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with each and every one of your existing and potential customers.
That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? While it would be incredibly time consuming to actually accomplish this, social media allows a business to establish a more personal connection to customers than ever before.
Creating a strong connection with customers is a good thing: it establishes trust, builds credibility, and demonstrates the personality behind a company, distinguishing it from other competitors in the field. Here’s what you need to do to get there:
Be a Credible Source of Information
Show your fans and followers that you are an expert in your field by being the go-to source for relevant information. The more you share valuable information, the more you gain authority; the more authority you have, the more you are perceived to be an expert in your field.
Focus on Your Followers
Though it might seem counter-intuitive, your business’s social media is not just about you—it’s about your followers. While you definitely want to include news about your company and your product, you also want to maintain a balance by including other information that might appeal to those reading your social media content.
Take Customer Service to the Next Level
Social media provides a business the opportunity to show its customers that the company really cares. A sound social media strategy will allow you to keep your finger on the pulse, anticipating what your customers want and responding to any customer service complaints swiftly and appropriately. Social media allows you to connect with customers like never before: you simply cannot afford to miss out.
Interact With Your Community
Build trust with your customers by creating a bona fide community around your business. Encourage your followers to ask questions (and, of course, answer them!).
Engage community members to participate in your social media initiatives, and create a two-way dialogue with your customers. Don’t forget to listen: when you take the time to really hear what your customers have to say, you can gain knowledge that will help you improve your products and policies.
Let Your Customers Speak
The best way to boost your credibility is to let your satisfied customers do the work for you.
Encourage happy customers to share their testimonials on social media, and highlight their Tweets, photos, or posts on your own social media. It’s one thing to tell your customers how great you are, but it’s even more effective to have your loyal fans share their satisfaction with their own community. Begin to see your happy customers as brand ambassadors, and embrace them within your social media strategy.
Be Authentic
If you are not being fully and completely authentic in your company’s social media initiatives, then you are missing the point. It’s hard to build a connection with a phony person, and it’s even more difficult to do so with an inauthentic brand.
Use your business’s strategy and values to shape your social media strategy. Maintain a consistent, honest imagine across your social media channels. Give your customers a behind-the-scenes peek into the people and processes behind your product. Don’t be afraid to reveal your company’s true personality.
