You must put the work in with social media to reap the business rewards. Here are my top tips to increase your online presence and to grow your business.
1. Offer something exclusive.
To keep existing followers interested and encourage more to follow, give them something they can’t get anywhere else. This could be an exclusive discount code, a chance to enter a competition or simply industry advice. Sharing knowledge about the industry you’re in, is a way to build your reputation and credibility.
This doesn’t all have to be done online. DUO, a British retailer of ladies boots and shoes, set up Q+A sessions with other small businesses from their local area. The sessions were backed up by a campaign of tweets from industry experts – giving further exposure to the DUO brand.
2. Engage with your audience.
Encourage your customers to give feedback on your product or service. Interact with these customers to show the personal side to your business and remember to react quickly – social media is much faster moving than email. Aim to respond within a few hours. You may be cautious to encourage this as people can leave negative feedback, but if you respond promptly and resolve any issues in a friendly way it will show your business in a positive light. DUO has used social media to deal with queries about missing deliveries and size queries. It gives them a chance to show off their caring side!
When it comes to engaging with your audience, remember not to get carried away. A few promotional tweets or posts a day is plenty to start with. Many people will stop following a business that bombards them with information.
3. Add social buttons to your website
Use your existing website to increase your social media following. You can do this by adding social buttons to your blog posts and various pages on your site. You can also add social buttons on product pages so that customers can share their favourites with friends. It all helps with brand awareness, and it shows your followers that your business is endorsed by real people. It can also help you to retain existing customers. If they see you regularly interacting on social media; they’re more likely to come back.
This post was written by Sarah Leeds, a marketing executive who writes on behalf of DUO, a British retailer of ladies boots and shoes.