Singapore
Singapore
So you’ve jumped on the social media bandwagon and created Facebook and Twitter pages for your business. But how do you make social media work to your advantage in an age where everyone is competing for attention on the web? Just follow these 10 golden rules.
Exclusive discounts and coupon codes are useful ways to draw in fans and increase sales. These privileges will help attract potential customers to be part of your company’s social network. Also, give sneak previews to create hype and boost demand while making fans feel valued.
It’s not enough to tweet your followers or update your Facebook page with the latest happenings. Create a YouTube account and post relevant, interesting videos that will help to create awareness about your product. The engaging experience that videos provide are a great way to market your products or services and can help your customer envision exactly what you can do for them.
Respond to posts on your Facebook wall and tweet back when followers tweet you. Listen to their comments and let them know they are being heard. This makes your customers feel valued. Under no circumstance should you outsource your social media personality or create automated replies and messages. It’s rude, impersonal, and people can usually tell when they are being spoken to by a machine. Replying to comments yourself might take more effort, but customers will appreciate the personal touch.
Keep your customers in the loop on the latest discounts, new stores or any change in operations, such as opening hours. A quick keyword search on the Internet to find out what people are interested in can lead you to more potential customers. Use an app like Foursquare to gather data on the people visiting your locations and send promotional offers to frequent customers. This will help to build customer loyalty.
Thank customers for any positive feedback but don’t go on the defensive when they say something less than favourable about your business. This will only cause more conflict and negative word-of-mouth to spread. Try to deal with negative feedback or dissatisfaction privately to let customers know that you can be depended on to come up with solutions for their needs.
Facebook and YouTube allow businesses to run ads targeted at specific groups of users based on their profile or the content they are viewing. The ad click-through data can be useful in gauging consumer interest. If you have several outlets, paying attention to the demographics of those who check in at your locations will help you target promotions and special offers more efficiently.
Set up a discussion forum where customers can interact with each other. This allows them to help each other out and exchange quick tips, so you can save on customer support. Allow and encourage customers to contribute photos, videos and even testimonials. This adds credibility to your business and will increase the trust people have in it.
Cultivate relationships by initiating conversations and inviting customers to visit you at your outlet. Impress them with your hospitality and they in turn will promote your business to their friends. You can also engage popular bloggers who are fans to blog about your company or products. This allows you to tap on their loyal following and sphere of influence to expand your customer base.
See what others share and note how they are relevant to your business. You might want to update your services or products to make them more relevant to what your customers are buzzing about. Consumers are more likely to stick with a company that’s constantly in tune with the latest trends.
Reading independent blogs and joining industry groups on social media sites is a good way to join the larger conversation and get to know influential people in the industry. LinkedIn, for instance, is designed specifically for professional networking. Use it to find business partners by identifying companies of interest and contact them. Who knows what business opportunities may lie ahead.