Interacting with Customers Online

Creating an online presence is a great way to keep the public up to date. It creates online traction and offers a new way to attract potential customers. Want to take your business a step further? Find ways to interact with customers!

Social Media:

• Facebook: Great way to develop a community among those who follow your page. Followers can provide feedback and give their thoughts on your brand through likes, comments, and shares. Constant interaction can generate word of mouth buzz and a loyal customer base ready to come back and visit.
• Twitter: Could be the best way to interact regularly with customers. Twitter users will often tweet at an establishment regarding complaints or questions. Here, you have a great way to communicate directly and garner firsthand feedback from your base. It’s also easy to respond timely and efficiently. This is a great tool to utilize to show customers that you are here and ready to provide good service.
• Instagram: Visuals are always a great way to expand your brand. What better than a media site that focuses on sharing pictures? Creating visual material for customers to see will garner much more engagement than Facebook and Twitter. You’ll see what kinds of material customers are most interested in. This is especially true for younger generations that move through social media quickly and rely on visual stimulation as a primary component of their marketing preferences.
• Snapchat: Want to spark interest with quick videos and media? Snapchat provides the opportunity to do just that. This selfie and short clip app allow you to showcase daily specials and constant interaction pertaining to everything going on at your location. Millennials specifically utilize snapchat to capture their everyday lives. It’s a great way to prompt word-of-mouth advertising.

Reviews:

Customer feedback is a great way to evaluate your performance on a regular basis. But taking it a step further is a good way to improve a customer’s overall impression of your business. This is true for both positive and negative reviews. Responding to a positive review thanking customers for their business is a great way to show appreciation. Hearing what you’re doing well is great! It helps to know what to what maintain moving forward. But negative reviews are a good way to make improvements to your establishment. Identifying why a customer had a mixed/negative experience provides input as to where the business can improve. This feedback will help you avoid the same mistakes in the future while also providing a supportive response reassuring that their voice has been heard.

Rewards:

Everyone likes a good deal! Especially when you feel rewarded for visiting a location. Developing a rewards program can garner intrigue and online chatter about your business. Customers are likely to revisit your location if they feel like there are exciting reasons to come back. Posting promotions and rewards on social media will get more people to follow your pages. This is a great way to solidify an online following. Once you have a following, it is easier to speak directly to these customers and provide instant information about the exciting promotions your location runs! A good way to promote your business is by developing a loyalty program. Creating punch cards or point systems is a great way to entice people with new products or exciting specials. Its easy too! Just post it to social media or your website and word will spread fast. Customers will be thrilled!