How to Use Social Media to Retain Customers
Successful businesses have loyal customers. Here are three ways you can use your business's social media profiles to retain your customers.
Business owners are continually looking for ways to retain their current customer base. There's a good reason for their interest. According to Adobe, returning customers typically spend three to seven times as much as a first-time customer.
Make no mistake; gaining new customers is vital to the success of your business. However, many marketers fail to take the time to focus on their customer retention strategy.
Social media is an excellent way to keep your existing customers happy so that they will turn to your business in the future. Few websites offer the analytic data available through social media, making it the perfect tool for building connections with your audience. Here are some of the best ways you can use your business's social media profiles to retain customers.
1. Look for emerging trends.
The great thing about social media is that people are free to talk about virtually anything they want. If you're interested in retaining customers, it's helpful to find out what kind of problems they are having – as it relates to your niche – by looking at trends in the community.
For instance, if you're a WordPress plugin developer and want to find a product gap in the market, checking WordPress plugin chat groups and conversations can prove beneficial.
When you keep your eye on the trends, you can develop products or services that extend the customers' experience by offering them something new. It's hard to retain a solid customer base if you sell one or two products that never change. Social media allows business owners to look at emerging trends, identify gaps based on consumer needs and develop new products.
2. Improve personalized offers.
Social media allows us to give our current customers personalized offers based on their past purchases. Email marketing is far from dead, but there are plenty of people who prefer to receive special offers through their social media profiles.
There are two ways you can offer personalized discounts or products to current customers. The first method involves using retargeting pixels, or browser cookies, to offer a product that the customer was previously looking at on your site. If they are new customers, you can offer them a discount to encourage them to make a purchase, or you can provide an "exclusive discount" to current customers to keep them coming back. Studies show that customers love this kind of personalization. In fact, 63% of consumers prefer rewards based on their past purchases.
Alternatively, you can use the messaging features (either through a chatbot or a real representative) on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to ping customers who follow you with a special promotion.
3. Engage often.
Engaging with your customer base is perhaps the best way to keep them interested in your brand. Consumers like brands that have personality and interact with the community.
You can engage with your audience in several ways. One of the easiest ways to gain the approval of a current customer is to thank them if they give you a shoutout or follow. This small gesture can spark a conversation that may make them want to come back and shop with you again.
It's also essential to engage with customers as soon as possible if they message your account or post on your timeline with a problem or concern about a prior purchase. The quicker you resolve questions or issues, the more trust that customer will have in your company.
Engagement also occurs when you respond to a customer who replies to one of your posts. There are systems in place that make the customer feel valued when they get a response from the business owner. For example, YouTube shows a picture of the video uploader if they respond to a comment on their video.
Conclusion
The best way to keep your current customer base is by showing them you care. All of these social media tips show your customers that you are keeping them in mind and appreciate their business.
Developing new products to address customer concerns shows that you want to help. Personalized offers show that you're paying attention to their purchases and have other products that can improve their lives. Finally, engagement shows that you're human, willing to talk and want to build a connection with them.