Business owners have discovered social media to be an effective way in spreading the word about their business. The very nature of social media fosters easy sharing of information by anyone with his social network. As a business owner, you have a great opportunity to interact directly with your customers and encourage them to spread the word about your products.
People see social media as a way to interact with a real person. When you establish a presence, avoid a lot of corporate speak. Present yourself as a real person, like someone talking to a friend. Use natural language in the first and second person. Your customers will be more drawn to the less corporate style.
When your customers make a comment or a post, be sure to read it and thank them for taking the time to post. It does not matter if their opinions differ from yours. If someone posts a dissatisfaction about your prod
uct, acknowledge your regret, and offer to contact him personally by email to resolve any problems that he had with the product. This is how you earn the trust and respect of your customers. When they see that you are taking personal responsibility for their satisfaction, they will tell others about your excellent customer service and your reputation will improve.
Be patient when you are building up your presence. It will take time for people to get to know you and spread the word about your brand. Just keep up with the interaction and be proactive in starting a conversation online.
People like getting incentives. Every now and then, create a promotion or a contest and announce it in social media. Make the prize worthwhile. Gift certificates always attract attention. This is one way to motivate people to share the news with their network.
Look for other opportunities for you to start a conversation. There are plenty of forums and online communities that are frequented by your target audience in which you can also participate. Peruse through the forum threads and see where you can share your expertise. When you make your first post, introduce yourself and be open about what you represent. Do not make your post sound like a sales pitch. If you are offering advice, do it in a way that addresses the question without emphasizing on what you are selling. Just include a link to your website at the signature line. People will make the connection. If they like the advice you gave, they will go to your website to find out more.
Be sure to maintain a tone of humbleness when you post in social media. Avoid a lot of hype. Customers will respect you and trust you more.
Be ready to change your strategy if the social media marketing scene changes. New platforms pop up all the time, so you have to be ready to jump on the bandwagon quickly to seize the opportunity. If you stay ahead of the game, you will reap benefits for your business.
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More topics: Social Media, Social Network, Business Owner, Social media, Business, Facebook, Social media marketing, Customer service, Social network, Twitter, Customer,
Image credits:
English: Stephen Monaco speaking about Social Media Marketing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Steven Groves, co-author and social media marketing strategist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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