Tag: Relationship Marketing

How You Build Relationships with Your Audience Through Social Media

When social media marketing works well, it establishes a personal connection between the brand and their audience. Small businesses that only post when they have something to sell, will find that their followers don’t engage with their content.

These business owners often go out and tell other businesses that ‘social media doesn’t work.’

The truth is that social media marketing doesn’t work for brands that are only in it for themselves. It doesn’t work when a business owner spends zero time thinking about what their audience actually wants, enjoys, or is interested in seeing in their feeds.

How can you actually build a relationship with your audience using social media and make social media marketing work for you?

Create Content for Your Audience

There’s an overwhelming amount of content being uploaded to social media every minute. That’s a lot of noise. How do you get your social media posts seen by the right people?

First, you need to know who your target audience actually is. Because, to truly reach them, you have to create content they actually enjoy. That means the majority of your social media posts are not only geared towards the people you want as clients but that the content also aims to educate, entertain, inform, or inspire your audience.

This works best if you actually have a conversation with your target audience and ask them what type of content they consume. What do they enjoy on social media? Ask them directly, what would you like to see from my small business?

Engage with Your Audience

The second way to ensure that social media marketing won’t work for your business is to post and leave. Social media schedulers allow us to batch and schedule content months in advance. However, if you aren’t regularly checking for engagement and then responding to your audience, they will quickly learn that you aren’t present and they’ll stop engaging with your content.

Social media is meant to be social. You can’t just post content and then forget about it. You have to be present for your audience. Ideally, you are starting valuable conversations with them on a regular basis.

User-Generated Content

The most powerful content you can create comes from having interacted with your audience first. Polls, surveys, engagement questions, and social media conversations are all super valuable when it comes to creating content your audience actually wants. Don’t undervalue these exchanges. Figure out how to repurpose them or use them to create quality posts for your people. This is called user-generated content.

Social media marketing can be a highly effective way to reach and connect with your target audience. The key is in understanding how, and why, social media marketing works so that you can build your platforms correctly and share content that actually matters with your followers.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

Top 3 Things People Don’t Love About Social Media Marketing

It’s no secret that people are becoming disillusioned with social media. This actually has much more to do with the way people use the social media platforms than it does with how the channels are actually structured. The owners of these platforms want you to have a good experience because, otherwise, you won’t return. However, there are ways people and businesses are currently using social that are ruining it for folks.

Here are the top 3 things people don’t love about social media marketing:

Being Sold

There’s nothing more annoying today than having a complete stranger come at you with a sales pitch. Whether it’s online or offline, we are savvy consumers and know how to locate what we need, when we need it. That makes it challenging for business owners seeking new customers for their product of service. Social media, in particular, was not created as a platform for consumers to find new ways of spending money. It was created to help people connect and build relationships.

Does that mean you shouldn’t be selling on social media? Absolutely not. It simply means that the way you sell to people online should start with connection, building relationships, and establishing trust first. Once people start to know, like and trust you – they’ll want to know what you do and how it will help them.

Lack of Connection

Many businesses are on social media today because they have been told they need to be, but aren’t actually using social to engage with and connect with their audience. Posting for the sake of posting – and then complaining that you aren’t getting any business – is based on the misconception that you can simply post and get results. Social media users follow you because they want to consume great content while connecting with real people.

No Transparency

It’s well-known that people are often posting the best version of themselves on social media. However, social media users are looking to connect with, and build a relationship, with the person behind the brand. Otherwise, there’s no reason to hang out or engage with the content on your page. They don’t want just the most polished version of you – they want to relate with the struggles, setbacks, and failures – and the lessons learned – just as much as they want to consume the good stuff. Also, social media users can spot a fake a mile away! Just be the real version of you on social media and the right people will follow, literally.

Understanding why people dislike social media marketing will help you, as a brand, develop content and a social media presence that actually attracts people. Stop paying attention to what other people are doing and start building genuine relationships online. You’ll find that this method works 1,000x better than just posting and hoping for the best.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#CustomerGratitude – What is a CRM?

To put it simply, CRM software is a tool that businesses use to track and nurture their relationships with leads and current clients. This is the best way to store and access all kinds of information on people including their contact information, notes, interactions with your brand, and more.

There are hundreds of different types of CRM’s available and each business is tasked with finding a system that works for their needs. There are plenty of features available, making a CRM an invaluable asset to organizing and running your company. Plus, it makes expressing gratitude for your clients much simpler.

How does a CRM help you appreciate your clients?

Automated Touches

We get it. You’re busy. It’s difficult to get the work done, sign new clients, run your business AND spend a bunch of time reaching out to your customers to let them know you’re thinking of them. While it’s not okay to automate all of your customer appreciation activities, the occasional email automation sequence is a good supplement when you’re swamped.

If one of the ways you like to love on your clients is to send them interesting and relevant content on a regular basis, your CRM could automate this process by allowing you to build a list and schedule those emails to multiple clients at once.

Personalized Communication

Just because an email is automated doesn’t mean it needs to look that way. Quality CRM software will offer you the option of personalizing the subject line so it looks like you crafted that email just for your client.

Store Valuable Data

With the right website forms, tied into your CRM, you can respond to leads quickly, personally, and efficiently as all the information will then be stored into your database.

Track What’s Important

Do you love sending out birthday cards or gifts? Get rid of the spreadsheet and plug those dates into your CRM! Track the client relationship from initial contact to the present moment with just a few clicks on your computer. Never forget an important conversation or date again.

If you are SOLD on getting started with your own CRM, we always recommend AllProWebTools. As a Certified Marketing Expert for AllProWebTools, you’ll have an expert by your side to answer questions and get you up and running in no time.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#CustomerGratitude – Customer Appreciation Tips

When small business owners talk about customer appreciation, the first thought that often comes to mind are gifts. While sending gifts can be a great way to encourage loyalty and appreciate your clients, it’s not the only method to nurture these valuable relationships.

Here are some ideas, outside of gifting, to help you become a customer appreciation superstar:

Staying Top of Mind

Out of sight, out of mind is not just an expression – it can easily become a reality. Being a business owner can be overwhelming and it’s way too easy to overlook loving on your people on a regular basis. However, not staying top of mind with your customers leaves the door wide open for another vendor or business to swoop in and take that opportunity to really build a solid, relationship. Loyalty and trust are earned and, if neglected, quickly transferred to someone else willing to put the effort in. This may mean finding a way to delegate some of the time-consuming tasks that are keeping you from being intentional and present with your clients.

Being a Giver

Being a giver isn’t just about gifts. Givers walk into the room with a heart of service, looking to support other people and make their day better. If there is always a tally involved for you to step up and give your time, energy or attention, then a mindset change needs to happen.

People are drawn to givers. Why? Givers don’t show up only looking to get something out of the experience. They don’t have the expectation that in order to give they must receive in return. There are no hidden agendas, spammy motives, or unfavorable conversations when you are interacting with a listener, a nurturer, or a giver. Anything you can do to show up for people with an intention to serve, will do wonders for you in terms of relationship building.

Invite Them Along

This technique isn’t as well-known but can be super effective if done in a generous way. If you have an upcoming event, function, or networking opportunity – this is a great moment to invite a client to come along with you and share the benefits! Not only is this a great way to give back, but it also sets you up to enjoy one on one time and get to know them.

Collaboration

As you look at each new year, ask yourself whether or not there are opportunities to collaborate with your clients. Can you throw an event together and both promote it to both your audiences? Can you team up on a project that will benefit you both? Collaboration is the glue that ties successful businesses together. No business is an island and your reach will be more expansion with there are more people working together.

Whatever you decide to do to appreciate your customers, just know that every touch and every conversation is building the relationship. Relationships breed loyalty, referrals, and word-of-mouth in ways that no other business connection can. Client appreciation is about more than saying, “Thank you.” It’s also about creating a connection that stands the test of time.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

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