Engage with Customers in the Best Ways

When it comes to businesses and companies, your customers are the most important part of it. They are how you grow, the people that recommend you to others and also your way to succeed. The world is so fast-paced right now and most people want responses immediately, and if they send you queries or complaints they want you to respond in a timely manner. Before it used to be 3 to 5 working days but now it needs 3 to 5 hours to keep your customers happy. One of the best things that businesses can do is to engage with their customers in the best way. You need to 1st perfect your tone of voice which is how you want to sound to customers whether that’s writing on social media replying to emails or even sending press releases out. You will want your business to have the same tone of voice throughout all of your communications. Depending on the type of business it is, if it’s a law firm you want to sound professional; if it’s an Indie ice cream parlor you want it to be a bit more casual because it also is how you attract the right audience.

Social Media

So the main way that people are going to engage with your business now it’s through social media. The majority of your audience is spending hours and hours a day on social media so when they want to talk to a business that’s how they do it. This is why a lot of businesses are now opting to have a social media manager. This is where someone is dedicated to managing the social accounts, posting regular content, replying to comments as well as sending any complaints or queries to the relevant departments if needed. So the question is how can you effectively engage with your audience through social media? If you know that no one manages accounts over the weekend or in the evening then you can set up an automatic reply which simply says no one is here right now but will reply to you as soon as we can then as soon as someone logs in the morning so see the messages and will be able to reply straight away. So even though you’re not actually replying to the query you’re still sending them a response very quickly which makes them feel valued and heard. Some businesses have even gone the extra mile and have specific accounts for complaints and queries from their customers which are managed throughout the day so the queries can go into that account and then normal content can be posted on the other account. Customers want to know they’re being heard so if possible try and reply to all comments on your pictures and your posts just spend time engaging with your audience. It makes them feel special and can create a better loyalty relationship with the brand and the person.

Live Chat

Another top way that people are going to want to engage with you and speak to you is through live chats. This is simply where the queries are a bit more complex or they want to speak to someone but maybe not over the phone. You will want to find the best live chat software for business use as you could be having a lot of queries at once and you don’t want to end up having your site crash or have people waiting a long time because there is an issue with the software. On your website you want to be a lot more professional-sounding than on social media doesn’t have to be very professional but just more so than you would be when you reply on social media. By having a live chat system on your website you can also start conversations with people who are on your website. You’ll be able to see when people live on your website and what page they’re on and when they are on the contact page you can simply pop up and just say, “Hello, Is there anything I can help you with today?” This shows that you are being proactive, you are wanting to help your customers and even potential customers, and that you’re easy to talk to, which is a big thing for a lot of people these days with businesses. People want to be heard and want to know that people listen.

Run a Blog

A way that you can engage with your audience and customers in long-form is through having a blog on your website. Having a blog has other benefits as well like increasing SEO and driving more traffic to your website. But a great thing for a business is it’s a way to give detailed information to their clients and their customers so for example if your business is vegan food it can be where you share recipes, top tips and any hot new items are available and people should try. It gives you a way to share more information with them and be a place for people to go to for advice. It shows that your expert in your field by offering this advice for free. If you advise as part of your business, just give A few hints and tips which will leave them wanting more and they may get in touch then to purchase any services that you offer. It shows that you’re credible and someone to be trusted in your industry. It’s a great way to have people share behind-the-scenes footage stories and interesting facts like how the business started, a day in the life of the CEO, a day in the life of the normal worker. It’s a way for people to learn more about your business, what your business believes in and your ethics. A major thing right now is people understanding how business is run and if it is sustainable, eco-friendly and as green as it can be. Blogs are a great way to shell superation and show how you’re implementing that into your business.

Send a Newsletter

Another way to contact your audience in a long form that isn’t a blog is through a newsletter. This is a great opportunity to send out a monthly email or even a weekly email to your audience. You can include quotes from people in the business, alerts of new products that are launching, sneak peeks, and even exclusive discount codes. By sending discount codes through a newsletter you can see how effective your newsletters are and how many people use them. It’s also a way to earn more money — if you have a lot of people on your newsletter list of the businesses that will pay for ad slots on that email. One of the problems a lot of people find newsletters is getting people to sign up in the first place. A great way to entice people and sign up to the newsletter is by offering an exclusive discount when they sign up which can include in your welcome email or even a freebie on the next order keyboard to be incentivized to sign up to email lists. I can incorporate into a website a pop-up that comes up so that when they’re shopping on your site it can say here is a discount code if you sign up to our newsletter. As they’re probably looking to shop there already, having a discount code is going to be beneficial for them so they are more likely to sign up at that point.

Conclusion

So all these different ways are great to incorporate into your business and show your customers that you’re putting them first. Customers always need to be put first as they make up the backbone of your business regardless of what it is. For businesses to grow, they need to make sales and get customers. Retaining customers is just as important as getting new ones. A lot of businesses make this mistake but they always have low prices and new offers for new customers. This means that when their current customers are looking for something and haven’t been offered any local discounts or offers, then they feel like the business doesn’t care about them and they will use your competitors instead. You need to spend just as much time retaining customers as well as looking for new ones. When you have customers with you from the beginning or for such a long time, it’s important to let them feel valued. For example, if you have a subscription box service and you’ve had someone for a year, maybe give them an offer for their next purchase or half price off their next box. Another great way to show your customers you care is when you collect their data, collect their birthday dates, and send them something in return ― whether that’s some money off or a small freebie. These are some great ways to engage with customers, to show them you care, and to keep your business growing and having the brand awareness that you are customer-focused, which is always good.