Eight Social Media Strategies To Earn And Keep Loyal Customers
Customers are the lifeblood of any company. They provide valuable feedback when you’re developing and launching products, and they drive the sales you need to formulate new products and grow the company. Whether you do so through extensive marketing tactics or simple strategies, it’s important to find your customers, grab their attention and then retain them as loyal clients.
One of the most popular methods to go about doing this right now is via social media. Social media marketing and selling strategies can be very effective for earning and keeping customers. Yet not all strategies are created equal. To help you choose the best method for your business, eight members of Forbes Business Development Council shared their most effective social media strategies for finding and retaining loyal customers.
Eight leaders shared their social media tips.ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.
1. Show What You Stand For
Stop providing “value” on social media in the form of telling your customer what you believe in or stand for. That only gets you so far, and a consumer wants to know what that really means. Instead, show them through what you do and what your product or service has to offer. That is the difference between social media “lip service” and actually providing value that makes sense for a consumer. – Case Kenny, amobee.com
2. Promote Without Being Promotional
When it comes to both attracting and retaining customers through social media marketing and direct selling alike, I believe strongly in the virtue of promoting without being overtly promotional. Make sure that you communicate your message powerfully but do so in a way that will not turn people off. Less can be more. Do your best to walk the fine line. – Adam Mendler, The Veloz Group
3. Know Your Audience
There are a few social media strategies that are effective for earning and keeping customers. First, know your audience. Give your audience content they understand and value. Second, use social media as a two-way street. This tactic will not only allow you to connect with your audience but also showcase your brand’s personality. Last, it’s crucial to set KPIs and measure performance against them. – Melody Conner, Soylent
4. Focus On Both Quality And Quantity
The social media space is busy and to effectively get a message to your potential clients, you need to make some noise. Constant scheduling and posting of genuine content produced in a regular cadence will help elevate your brand, set you apart from your competition and help to get your message heard. – Scott Douglas Clary, Bedrock Affect
5. Engage On Facebook
Facebook advertising and engagement is one of our best strategies. It’s super important to engage with all prospects and clients for multiple reasons. Also, if you have an unhappy client, for example, engage with them with your voice and a potential solution. Others will respect your position rather than seeing that they were ignored. – Wayne Elsey, Elsey Enterprises
6. Start An Employee Advocacy Program
One thing we’ve started doing in the past year is to start a social-media-based employee advocacy program. When our employees share how important it is to make their clients’ experience an important part of their personal success, there’s a trust generated we could’ve never cultivated on our own. The company also becomes more credible when prospects see for themselves that we mean what we say. – Christian Valiulis, Automatic Payroll System
7. Know What Not To Do
When it comes to social media, connecting with someone doesn’t give you permission to blast them with irrelevant messages. (“I saw your profile; wanted to reach out.”) Also, note that where someone went to college or their headquarters doesn’t make a real connection. Dig deeper. (For example, “I see your company is expanding overseas, which can present logistical nightmares. We’ve helped companies like yours.”) – Jim Ninivaggi,Brainshark
8. Offer Solutions Through Education
First, I am a firm believer that if we offer solutions to customers through education, this enables us to have the best success for growth and retention of a strong customer base. We educate with articles and links to information that aligns with our company. Secondly, culture is important. I believe that you have to show customers your company culture to encourage buying and loyalty. – Nathan Hasse, Simpatico
