If you use social media, you know how great it is for helping you keep in touch with friends and family, catch up on the news, and find out about new people and places in your town. In a sense, social media helps you build relationships, and this is what makes it a valuable relationship marketing tool for your business.
As more businesses come online, consumers have more shopping choices than ever, which means the competition for sales and customers has never been greater. Amid the flurry of marketing messages, consumers have flocked to companies that engage them as people and not just customers. One way to attract more of these customers - and generate more revenue from them - is to develop a more personal relationship with them. Social media makes this possible.
Relationship marketing isn't new; customer loyalty has always been a priority, especially for companies that know it costs much more to find new customers than to sell to existing ones. Traditional marketing didn't always make it easy to maintain these relationships, but social media does because it enables the things that keep relationships alive, including:
Information
A relationship requires both partners to be open and honest with each other; relationship marketing works the same way. You might think marketing is only about promoting your products and services, but social media helps you share all kinds of information about your business.
Of course, you can send announcements about special sales and new products, but think of other ways to engage followers. If you're featured in a big news story, share a link to the article or video. Talk about developments in your company, like new hires or business partnerships. Even generic comments about the weather or a holiday wish can endear followers to your business, making them more likely to continue following you and eventually buying from you.
Dialogue
Communication can't be a one-way street in a relationship; you have to listen as much as you talk. Most traditional marketing tactics made it hard to generate feedback from customers, but a relationship marketing strategy that includes social media gives customers a louder voice.
Many consumers use social media to talk about the brands they love, as well as those that disappointed them. Therefore, you should use it to address their feedback. For instance, send a thank-you tweet to someone who raves about your products on Twitter. Promptly answer questions or concerns if someone is complaining about your business in general or a specific issue. Use social media to talk to your customers and you'll have a deeper relationship over time.
Fulfilled Expectations
Once you get into a relationship, each partner asks for and expects certain things from the other. Meeting these expectations is hard work, but it's essential for a long-term relationship. Luckily, it's easier them social media is part of your relationship marketing strategy.
Use your social media feeds to extend the brand you've promised in your other marketing channels. For instance, if you've positioned yourself as a cutting-edge business, share the latest news and advice in your field. If you want your business to be seen as fast and reliable, prove it by immediately addressing and responding to customer concerns and questions. Embed your social media feeds with your brand promise and develop a more consistent, credible reputation with your customers.
Social media isn't just for chatting about life anymore, so use it to chat about your business. Turn your social media feeds into valuable marketing tools and develop better customer relationships.
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