Social Savvy: Fresh ideas for creating compelling customer connections – July 2024

By Irene Williams

As a business leader, you know it’s vital to stay ahead in the marketplace’s mix of online messaging channels. However, that’s more and more challenging today because the array of platforms and strategies for their use morphs rapidly and exponentially every day. Sure, you can reach customers literally 24/7, but where and how do you nurture connections that actually bring the results you need? Here are some fresh tactics that may help transform your target audience’s online interest into in-store purchases.

Up your game on less-conventional social platforms: Mention “social media marketing,” and most people immediately think of Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok. There’s no doubt your customers are among the hundreds of millions of active users on these behemoth platforms but trying to meaningfully connect there can be like casting a line into the ocean. Your odds may be better fishing in smaller ponds.

There are a handful of locally focused apps and websites ripe with geo-targeting and opportunities to engage with and be helpful to customers at their point of need for what you have to offer.

• Nextdoor: This social platform is built on and for hyper-local targeting to connect people within immediate neighborhoods. Its geographic specificity can be extremely effective for businesses such as yours, through both organic and paid tactics.

Similar to other social media platforms you’re already using, you can create a business page from your existing personal account. From there, you can engage regularly in neighborhood conversations, invite users to mention and recommend your business, and explore paid ads so your messaging shows up in various placements around the app. Because many people use Nextdoor to ask about and search for close-by resources, you can consider the app to be a mini search engine for your business.

• Yelp: This user review-based site has stood the test of time as a viable search-and-select tool for local consumers. Create a business profile and populate it with the same quality imagery and information as your website and other social profiles. Commit to keeping your profile updated and promptly engage with users-you’ll benefit most from Yelp by quickly answering users’ questions and responding to reviews, be they positive or negative. There are also paid placement opportunities to ensure your business shows up first when users search relevant terms.

• Google business profile: I’m including a Google business listing as a “small pond” connection point for a few key reasons. First, it’s the most effective way to be found by geo-targeted, motivated customers who’re actively looking for your business type. Second, it’s all too common that businesses do not update and nurture their listings. Next, it truly can be social in nature when the listing content is presented as an intuitive conversation that answers questions before they’re asked. Last but not least, over time, a Google business profile can produce sustained high-yield results with relatively minimal effort.

Treat your Google business profile with the same attention and care you devote to your website maintenance. Keep information, images and videos up to date. Stay aware of and engage with people who take time to review and always ask happy customers to post images and reviews. Even if you do not spend ad dollars to rank in Google search results, you still stand to benefit greatly by having a well-maintained profile that’s chock-full of images, videos and positive reviews from real customers.

• Task-/service-marketplace apps: If you derive revenue from services such as design consultation or installation, you may want to consider creating a presence on apps such as Thumbtack or Taskrabbit. I use the phrase “may want to consider” very intentionally, as these apps run on provider bidding-typically with costs involved-in addition to user reviews. The opportunities that arise through these apps may be too small to merit your time and attention. However, in light of the potential for connecting with local customers in their moments of need, give them a glance. From anecdotal reports, I’m aware of larger companies successfully establishing repeat customer relationships by onboarding through apps like this.

Go local on the big social: In the ocean of Facebook, it is possible to navigate away from the vast open sea to more helpful, local waterways. At a recent networking event, I heard a few pros for whom local sales are the lifeblood of their businesses extol the measurable benefits of participating in targeted Facebook groups. Here are tactics they shared.

1. Show up as a person in existing groups. Groups on Facebook are typically created by and for individuals for information and resource sharing-not selling. Designate someone on your team who’s comfortable using Facebook to participate as herself/himself in these local groups. It’s important to be present as an individual who has genuine interest in the group and is not there solely for opportunistic purposes.

2. Find the right groups. Countless neighborhoods and regional districts have groups designated for those who live and work in those areas. These are often forums for sharing updates, announcing events and asking for nearby resources (much like Nextdoor). Likewise, regional chapters of professional associations may have Facebook groups for affiliate members. Join or follow any and all relevant groups.

3. Chime in conversationally when appropriate. Encourage your company’s designated participant to keep an eye on these groups for relevant information and conversations for which there may be authentic business tie-ins. A couple of the networkers I visited with stated they’d acquired qualified leads by simply responding with insights and information when people asked for ideas and references.

4. Take action on targeted opportunities. One networker shared that she learned of a community event through a neighborhood Facebook group and signed on as sponsor. She met many people at the event and distributed promo materials with trackable discount codes. Another contact mentioned that she posted about an in-store event that was open to the public, noting that the group admins were amenable to the post because she’s been a longtime, supportive participant of the group and didn’t tie her post to a direct sales message.

Cultivate direct connections: At the end of the day, your profiles on social media and third-party sites are like rented rooms, and you’re a tenant subject to the whims of the “property owners.” This is why it’s imperative to drive customers to your website and email list every chance you have. On your site and email list, there’s no gatekeeping by someone else; you can directly connect with people who are so interested in what you have to offer that they will choose to click, opt in and, eventually, walk into your physical location.

• Present standing invitations. Make it nearly impossible for potential customers to miss your website address and how to sign up for emails. Use QR codes on business cards and printed materials to offer a quick link to your home page that has a handy popup for email signups. End social posts with a mention of your website address. Include your URL with hyperlink in all email signatures. Add a direct link to your email signup on the custom menu you use on social profiles (e.g., Linktree, Link.Bio). Invite signups in your company descriptions on all social profiles.

• Incentivize direct connections. Encourage direct engagement by offering something of value for email signups. Offer a free PDF-maybe a design guide or tip sheet on how to budget for a flooring project-that you can automate to send immediately when a person signs up for your email list. Send a discount code or extend the chance for a free consultation to those who are new to your list. Reciprocity is a key to converting interest into action.

• Create exclusivity. Let those in your fold feel like the special insiders they are in order to build community. Title content in your email newsletters as “for our subscribers only.” Open sales events to subscribers first. Host online education sessions (record once, then offer on-demand to new subscribers) or in-person events for subscribers and their guests.

If seeking measurable return on social media marketing efforts, it’s always better to connect with 70 qualified potential customers than 70,000 lookie-loos. That’s why it may be time to explore the untapped opportunities of targeted platforms rather than doubling down on “big name” social sites. With planning, strategy and smart execution, you might find those smaller sites to be the stocked ponds you’ve wanted to fish in all along.

Copyright 2024 Floor Focus