If you haven’t noticed yet, social media is a force to be reckoned with in the business world, especially for entrepreneurs. There was once a point in time where if a business had a business page on social media, it was because that business simply wanted one, not because it needed one… Well, in today’s day and age, social media is a detrimental part of your business’ success.

There’s no denying the power of social media. In fact, Forbes states that social media can be the very thing that moves your business forward especially from a marketing standpoint. From that marketing standpoint, yes it can push your business forward but do you know how it also benefits your business? It allows you to connect with your audience on a personal level.

Social media is an extension of your brand and ultimately, it’s where you can grow your brand and to let your brand’s personality shine. In opposition to that, some might say that social media is necessarily the best platform to make a real and meaningful connection with your audience but that’s where so many people go wrong. If you use social media the right way, you can definitely make meaningful connections with your audience… here’s how.

Customer Appreciation: Show Them Your Gratitude

The fact that your audience, aka your customers, follow your brand on social media, means that they obviously support your products or services and because of that, it’s important that you show your appreciation to them. This will not only keep your customers happy but it will also give you an edge over your competitors.

Showing your appreciation to your customers can come in many forms. You can post flash sales and free giveaways but one of the best ways to show your appreciation to your audience is to communicate with them. For example, respond to them in comments if they share any of your content. Communicating with your audience is a marketing strategy that should be done on a regular basis.

Get Their Opinion: See How They Truly Feel About Your Brand

Getting your customers’ opinion is one thing that business owners tend to shy away from because they’re afraid a follower will post something they don’t want to see. Well, the reality is that your customers’ opinion is very important and getting their opinion, good or bad, is what’s going to help you improve your business in certain areas. Also, when they comment on things that need improvement, respond to them as best as you can, especially the comments that you can definitely make changes on. Apologize for any bad experiences they had with your brand and thank them for letting you know.

There are, of course, people out there that just simply have it out for your business or were very unsatisfied about your service or product and will do everything in their power to try and destroy your brand’s image, and a lot of the times, it’s your competitors doing it under fake names. If it gets to that point or if legal action is taken, that’s when you seek the help of your business insurance.

Business insurance has different policies that cover instances like libel/slander and all kinds of other things that can go wrong in a business. If you don’t have business insurance, it’s best to get your business insured before an incident like that has a chance to tarnish your brand.

Take Their Feedback and Apply It For Business Improvement

To stay connected with your audience, you have to consistently be active on social media. You’ve asked for their opinions, and now that you have them, what are you going to do with them? Well, you have to make improvements, or else why did you ask for their opinions in the first place?

By asking your audience their opinion, they’re also going to want to know if you made any changes, so keep your audience up to speed as you make those improvements. You can make posts addressing the issue and update them on the actual changes that have been made to enhance their user experience. 

They will love your brand even more because it shows them that you’re not just all about business… it humanizes your brand, letting your audience know that you’re not perfect and that you make mistakes. It also shows that your audience’s opinion matters to you and that you actually listen and care about what they have to say.

Making Real Connections

You may not realize it but your audience watches every move you make (every post you make) and a lot of your followers aspire to be your brand. As you know, when you market your brand, you market to a specific audience and want your brand to portray a certain image… well, the image you want to create is ideally, who your followers are or aspire to be. This is what allows you to make a connection with them. For example, if you’re a car enthusiast and sell car parts and accessories but share posts of vintage cars, you’re going to make real connections with fellow car enthusiasts too.

Social media may have the best reputation for making connections with people but the fact that we live in a digital world means that the best place to reach people and make connections with them is online… it’s not impersonal, it’s the new norm!