Connect with your Customers on Social Media

Human interaction is key! Today most people are using social media in some way. When I say most, according to Statista , 243.42 million adults in the United States are using social media at least once a month. With 331 million people in the United States in 2020, that's 73.5% of the population! In 2010, the total number of people under 18 accounted for 74.2 million of the total population or 24%. That means that just under 3% of the people in the United States are not using social media. If you didn't think you needed to Connect with your Customers on Social Media, I think it's time to think again! If you're not at this point yet, check out last week's article on how to get your website found .

Where are the Users?

According to Pew Research in 2019, 73% of all social media users were on YouTube, 69% were on Facebook and on an uptrend, and 37% of users were using Instagram, up 2% from the previous year. Surprisingly, only 22% of users were on Twitter and Reddit is only holding 11% of the users. So, as you start to think about where you should spend your efforts in reaching your customers on Social Media, it's clear that Facebook is still holding strong, but as video has become more popular for most viewers, getting a YouTube channel going could be even more beneficial!

Target Markets

You may not be trying to market to everyone, so let's break down some additional data. If you're looking to target women, then Instagram and Facebook are good bets, but if you want to reach men, you might want to avoid Instagram and put your efforts into LinkedIn. This is because there were 12% more women using Instagram and Facebook compared to men and 7% more men using LinkedIn than women. Now, if you're looking to target those over 65, you're going to want to focus directly on Facebook as they hold 27% more users than Instagram and LinkedIn combined! And if you're targeting Rural America, Facebook again is going to provide you a better audience with 35% more users than Instagram and LinkedIn combined.

Its all about Facebook

The research data shows a clear trend towards Facebook being the number one place you should be spending time reaching your audience. With 74% of their users using it daily and 91% using it at least weekly, if you want to reach your audience, it's the clear winner. But, wait, I said that YouTube had more users... While that's true, only 51% of the users are using it daily and 83% using it weekly. So you'll still have more reach if you're focusing on Facebook. That's not to say that you shouldn't be on any other social networks. When starting out with Social Media it's best to focus on one platform before getting into others and with the daily and weekly usage so high for Facebook, I honestly cannot recommend a better place to start.

Connecting with your Customers

Don't join social media if your mindset is "what's in it for me?" Flip your mentality and realize that it's "what can I do for people on social media?" You can start by reaching out to your audience and listening to what they're saying. Then, respond to them. Don't ignore what customers are telling you, complaints or feedback. Both positive and negative feedback can be used to your benefit. If it is a complaint, make sure to get back promptly, don't wait days, weeks, or even months before responding to someone's issue. Responding promptly shows that you actually care about your customers and value them. This means you should be on social media daily or even hourly so you can resolve issues quickly. Having a dedicated person for this can greatly benefit your company. If a crisis occurs, it can make or break your brand and having someone monitor your social media for this type of emergency is essential. If it's constructive feedback, see if you can use any of those useful suggestions to modify your business strategy.

People love to be recognized!

Show Gratitude

Everyone likes a "Thank You." Showing your gratitude regularly not only keeps your customers happy but can also give you an edge over your competition. People love to be recognized! If a follower creates content featuring your brand, make sure to reach out to them and say something. If you love it, don't be afraid to reply to them and share their message yourself. It's the best type of testimonial for your brand!

Use Video

As we've seen, a lot of users are on YouTube watching videos. A better way to showcase your product or service is to do it with video. Users on social media are more engaged with video than text, and they're more likely to pay attention. If they're paying attention, they're more likely to remember your content. With video, you can also give your customers an inside look of your business. People love to feel included. Showing them this behind-the-scenes view that isn't something the public normally sees makes them feel included. I'll be starting to create more videos here in December so everyone can see how I work as well, including jamming out to music as I did while writing this article.

Actual Experience

I recently caught a video about this "new" type of lighter and was so intrigued I actually asked them a question about the product. I still remember the product today because of the video. Sadly, they didn't respond to me and another viewer did, answering my question. Even though the answer wasn't what I wanted to hear, I think that if they had responded to me, I might have bought it. But because they ignored me, I chose not to purchase. Talk about seeing the impact of connecting with your customers on social media!

Its not all about Sales!

I feel like I need to say this again. It's not all about sales! I see too many businesses doing this. Sometimes, it's not even the business themselves, it's a business they've hired to manage their social media. Terrible. Try to have fun with your audience. Share an interesting article, post a funny meme or intriguing video. If all you're doing is blasting them with sales tactics and ads, your audience is going to lose interest quickly. I use a content calendar to tackle this issue and you can too. This'll ensure that you have a variety of posts all month long.

The do's and don'ts

If you're just starting out on your social media journey, you now know that the best results for your efforts will be on Facebook. You know that you should respond and interact with your followers, and you shouldn't be posting ad copy all day. You can even give your users a behind-the-scenes view of your business with video and really showcase who and what you're all about. The last thing I want to leave you with is to include hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to reach new people with your content and posts. Don't go overboard, around three is more than enough, and can bring more views, engagements, and reach to your posts. That's it. Now go create some awesome content and connect with your customers on social media!