Small business owners have to have at least one social media account. Not doing so could put you far behind your competition and potentially even lose existing customers. However, simply having a social media account isn’t enough either. With successful social media marketing, you have to engage and interact with existing and potential customers. Many of your consumers view social media as a two-way communication platform, and here’s how you can increase your number of loyal customers when you use each platform the right way.

Establish Trust With Customers

When a customer asks your business a question on social media, either publicly or in a direct message, they expect a response. If you don’t respond timely, they will think you don’t care about your customers and might never shop at your store again. This might seem a little drastic, but it’s the truth about how customers approach social media for small business owners. On the other hand, responding quickly and providing all the information they need can establish a level of trust you can’t earn any other way.

Respond To Negative And Positive Mentions

One of the best social media marketing ideas to implement is to respond to every mention you receive on social media, positive or negative. No one likes to receive negative comments about their product, service, or company, but it allows you the opportunity to improve and turn a negative experience into a positive one for a customer. Simply ignoring the comments isn’t ideal. Not only will the person who made the public comment be awaiting your response, but others who saw the comment might be waiting to see how you handle it as well.

Know Your Targeted Audience And Interact Appropriately

A key component of successful social media for small business owners is to understand your target audience and gear your interactions toward them. This means you could keep up with some of the latest trends your audience might be following and participate with them. Creating this common interest helps build trust and could humanize your business much more.

Blazing Social can help you develop social media marketing ideas to take your company to the next level. The right social media interactions can go a long way in boosting your customer base and giving your brand a positive reputation online. This can be difficult to do alone, though, with the other responsibilities you have. Be sure to contact us to see how we can help ensure you never miss an opportunity to increase your loyal customers.