Anyone can turn on their computer these days and go on an exciting shopping trip on the other side of the world. While this gives consumers choices that have never been available to them before, online shopping can also involve a lack of personal connection between the consumer and the merchant. Because people are more likely to become return customers in environments they’ve felt comfortable in, it’s important for small business owners to cultivate personal connections between themselves and customers even if they never actually meet face-to-face. Using social media is an excellent way for them to do this.
Because almost everyone uses Facebook these days, it’s an excellent resource for business owners who are trying to increase and maintain their visibility. Daily posts will help create and maintain connections between existing customers as well as generate new interest in a company’s products and services.
Facebook posts by small business owners should be relevant to the company in question as well as informative and fairly well-written. Improper usage of grammar as well as poor spelling will make reflect badly on a company’s professionalism. Although it’s important to be businesslike, however, well-placed personal touches are the key to cultivating a loyal client base.
Engaging clients in conversation is a great way for business owners to make personal connections. Posting a question on a daily basis is an effective way to invite guest participation on the page. For instance, a small business that specializes in selling culinary herbs and spices might post questions asking customers to comment on their favorite ways of using certain products.
Another great way to encourage customer interaction is to sponsor a weekly or monthly contest where clients can win promotional items. Prizes need not be large or expensive, just things that are good quality and fun. This sort of thing will keep customers coming back. Business owners should keep in mind that whether shopping online or in a brick-and-mortar store, customers return to the places where they felt most at ease and even had some fun.
Hard-sell tactics don’t work well with social media, but good quality photographs of merchandise made easily available is a good way to generate product interest. The Internet is largely a visual world, and colorful pictures often sell themselves much better than descriptive paragraphs can.
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I’ve also learned that we should build the emotional value of our business. The functional value lies on our products but the emotional value is the secret to maintaining customer loyalty.
I totally agree with this posting about social media being the “new networking” opportunity. If you have mastered making connections with people in the traditional networking world, all you will need is to bring that same personality to the online world through social media. Consistent personal connections really plant seeds in people and help them to remember you.
Yes, I too agree with what you are saying. Websites like Facebook can improve the customer contact, and we can easily keep in touch with them. With over 800+ million member base of Facebook, we certainly have a medium to advertise our services, and gain more and more customers from social media.
I also wanted to add, that I think it’s incredible, how one can actually personalize a social media fan page to the point where you feel like you are talking to directly to the person. Of course nothing will beat face to face, but for those networking meetings across the country, social media interactivity is a great way to build a rapport.
Great input, simm7. True. These social media interactions may not be a substitute for face-to-face meetings but, at least, they help in shortening the gap or the distance.
Having a consistent conversation with a customer on facebook will let them know that you’re human and not some answering machine. It will give the customer trust. It’s very hard to see that these days with businesses today.
Totally you have to make sure they know you aren’t a robot. Especially a sales robot, that is just there to sell them something instantaneously.
Social media offer us a platform to build a relationship with our customers and also work on our online branding. You can interact with real people just by clicking a few buttons. How cool and easy is that? It has a lot of power if you commit to it long term.
I totally agree KennyK. Especially the point you made about making things work for the long term. Social media is very useful for that. You can plant posts today that will bring replies years from now.
I had heard about the fact that customers buy from people they know, like and trust. However, I did not make a connection that has been mentioned in this article.
In fact, I realize that it is not only the marketer who can take advantage of this relationship because the customer also may already be looking for a product and he/she may prefer to purchase it from a marketer he already knows.
Yes. What is important is that any marketing gimmick should create value for both the consumer and the company. Thus, it becomes a win-win approach.
Most of the people in my business circle are have this behavior pattern. They definitely need to know that the company is reputable and has some sort of credibility.
Social networks are a wonderful free way to advertise yet they do not replace other advertising methods. I know from my own personal experience that the presence of advertisements online is somewhat overwhelming so don’t give up on other forms of advertising.
I fully agree that pictures are much better than a long descriptive paragraph. If I log on and see that all the products have bad small photos I will not even consider shopping there. Sites with multiple photos for one product I will spend much more time on and consider buying from. The concept of competitions works well but it needs to enhance sales not just cause people to come take part in the competition.
One brilliant use for social media is feedback from customers. If you want to see what people think of a product you can ask on social media and get quick responses.
Online shipping is great but for certain products. Clothes are usually not suitable, at least not all of them. In many cases, people become expectations for a product ot service is greater than what they receive…
Having weekly contests is a great idea. I think this could work well on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter.
I see much potential as people will likely share the links to a contest so that their friends and associates might also benefit. I tend to share contests as well as coupons and discounts and in turn this is also where I hear about them as well. I’ve discovered new businesses that way as a result.
And best of all, it’s fun. It does not feel like a hard sell.
Using social media sites like Facebook is indeed a necessity these days for small business owners. It’s a great way to connect with both of your established and potential clients. And it’s free. All you need to invest is your time.
Furthermore, the social media chatter around a website also helps SEO-wise. Google takes into account social shares in determining how a site should rank in its search results.
Learning how to engage customers and potential client in conversations is one of the best investment a business can make. Once you realize how you market thinks you will know what to expect from them, what they will react to and what will make them indifferent. Just by posting a question every 2 days or even daily on your Facebook page will increase people’s involvement.
And you may also learn new things about your niche. Posting tips that help people is also good in building their trust and loyalty to your business. There are countless ideas that can be used for posting and it doesn’t have to take you hours to do it. You can do this with 10-20 minutes of your time each day.