When a business connects with customers through social media, engagement is crucial. Being mindful of the customer's time, daily needs, and stress level can go far in establishing a genuine connection with that customer. This means that a business should avoid using corporate lingo or "information overload." Building a brand with social media is possible if businesses keep the following tips in mind.
Conveying Genuine and Compassionate Authenticity
A business should have a solid idea of the members who makeup its customer base. Knowing this information can help a business create content that is meaningful and truly valuable in the lives of customers. If a business understands its audience to be working mothers, then it should refrain from posting long articles or frequently posting throughout the day. The particular business is likely better off tweeting a couple of posts that contain time-saving tips, money-saving tips or other bits of information that a working mother would find useful.
If a business knows that its audience is made up of college students, then it may have greater room to post frequently throughout the day. Many college students have ample time to access social media devices and may find such posts to be useful.
Post Articles of Relevance for Readers
In addition, a business should try to understand the top blogs that its customers love. Posting articles from these blogs will help a business to foster a community vibe on social media. When sharing articles, businesses should also remember to be consistent. Readers may lose interest if a business only posts articles sporadically throughout the day. To start out, companies may want to choose one form of social media to master. Options may include accounts on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and other community message boards. Choosing one of these venues can enable a business to raise exposure and expand their user base.
Reach Out to Followers
Reaching out to followers in unexpected ways can spike interest in a business and create an aura of positive energy to surround the business. Creating posts that ask customers what their goals, dreams or ambitions are can provide a starting ground for a business to help its customers. Choosing just a few customers to "reward" each month by fulfilling one of these dreams or assisting in furtherance of a goal can express the company's good will and faith in humanity. It is also a great way for a business to do something for others without anything in return.
An example of this concept being put into action recently involved Oprah Winfrey. A Twitter follower of Oprah's had spotted a dress that Winfrey wore to an awards show and asked for the dress on Twitter. To the follower's surprise, Oprah actually responded and said that the girl could have the dress if they contacted Oprah's assistant.
Being mindful is the key to success when a business uses social media. Being authentic helps customers to build a stronger and more humane connection with the business communicating directly with their fan base. Businesses can benefit when they are conscious of the ways in which they use Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media.