Growing Your Business with Social Media
Whether your business is creating products or providing services, you need to find ways to grow in the digital age.
How can you effectively grow your business in the digital age? Is the answer simply social media? We hear stories about businesses experiencing an explosion of growth purely because of social media, but these cases are rare. Growing your business usually relies more on your face-to-face network than your social media network. However, when you use social media tools right, they can work well within your overall plan. So here are a few things you can do to grow your business using both social media and face-to-face methods.
Stay in contact with your current customers. Ask them what they like and what they don’t like about your business. Through email or social media, send messages once a week with special deals, product updates, or tips on how to use your products more effectively. Email relevant information to your customers that makes them want to come back for more. Tie social media activities to the business outcomes you want to achieve. And always include a way for your customers to respond: an email address or phone number. Send out a newsletter once a month that’s fun and informative to read. In your newsletter, don’t just be a vendor; provide value beyond your products by providing new tips on how to use them.
Get involved. Volunteer to speak at public schools or industry meetings and conferences. Donate your time to community-building efforts, like cleaning up neighborhoods. When you make a difference in others’ lives, good things come back to you. You can find all these opportunities by checking online community calendars and sending email to volunteer your time.
Be social on social media. Comment, offer suggestions, or publish short articles on sites, pages, or feeds related to your profession. Become the expert that people want to come to for ideas and resources. Don’t be social just to sell your services but rather to offer your insights. Become a problem solver.
Learn the names of your customers. Send handwritten notes. Host customer appreciation days. Start a loyalty program. Invite potential customers to breakfast or lunch.
Get your employees involved. Have them email their friends and family for special discounts. Give them messages to repost to their social media. And get them involved in the community and encourage them to post about it. When employees really feel a part of a company, they naturally sell to everyone they come in contact with.
Most important, remember three things:
- God has helped you succeed in the past,
- He wants you to succeed in the future, and
- He wants you to help others.
Have fun with social media. It’s not just all business. Express appreciation. Praise customers and employees, and talk about the fun things you do at work. You will find that your employees and your customers are more engaged and loyal.