You know social media isn’t going anywhere and your business needs a strong social media presence—there were at least 100 articles you read in 2018 alone that told you that. There’s no argument that social media can positively impact your bottom line, whether it’s by reaching a larger audience, driving sales, or engaging your current customers. Staying on top of the latest tactics and changing algorithms can be a full-time job. Here are 5 easy social media techniques that will help skyrocket your social media presence for 2019, including effective Pinterest Strategies for business growth.

social media presence

Social media techniques for 2019

  1. Know Your Customers’ Problems, Pain Points, and Frustrations Like They Were Your Family

Let’s face it. Some people love to complain and where there’s misery there’s company. Over the years, social media networks—particularly Facebook and Twitter—have transformed into somewhat of a customer service/vent line. Visit any company’s social page and you’ll find customer comments about the problems they are experiencing, what they like about the product or service, and of course, what they really don’t like.

Don’t ignore these comments from your customers or get frustrated by them. Use it as an opportunity to assess the severity of the issue and begin prioritizing common complaints based on their frequency. Social media provides a direct window into how your customer is interacting with your product or service. You can you use this to improve your service based on these insights, but you can get a glimpse into what new features you could implement based on your customers’ needs.

  1. Stalk Your Competitors’ for Updates, Strategy, and Weaknesses

Use the above technique to discover your competition’s weaknesses based on their customer feedback on Facebook and Twitter. You may even realize that your product or service offers something that they don’t, which gives you an opportunity to differentiate or position yourself as a superior choice in the market.

Make this information clear on your website or within your customer interactions. When you can explain how your product or service is better or different than that of your competitors, you’re one step closer to solving a customer’s problem instead of simply selling them a product. And that will help gain their trust.

Following a competitor’s social media is also a way to make sure they’re not moving faster than you or are offering a superior experience. Analyze and assess their strategy—get familiar enough with it and you may be able to predict their next move.

  1. Follow Industry Leaders and Build Relationships

Sharing is caring. Undoubtedly one of the best uses of social media is for networking. And it’s no different for you, especially as a business owner. At the very least, make your industry leaders aware of your presence. Let them know that you’re not just any joe schmo—you’re someone who’s passionate about the industry.

Here are a few ways you can strike up a natural conversation:

Set up a Google alert or track them on BuzzSumo so that when they are mentioned online you can strike up a private conversation on Facebook or Twitter about their latest news.

Like their Facebook page and make suggestions for improvements or solutions that will strengthen their customers’ experiences.

Connect with them on LinkedIn, follow them on Twitter and participate in Facebook groups in which they’re already active. Comment in the same threads so they see your name consistently.

Write a post on your blog and mention their service or product with a link to their website. Share that post on your Twitter account and tag them, then send them a message about it with the link to your post.

Once you’ve established a connection digitally, the ultimate goal is to take the conversation off social media. Try to set up a time to chat via Skype or phone, or if they’re local, set up a coffee date to meet in person.

Talk about the industry, ask for advice, or interview them for a blog post or article. You’ll flatter them by requesting their professional perspective on a subject.

  1. Figure Out Who Your Customer Really Is

If your community includes a few hundred followers, that’s a substantial survey opportunity. Google Forms is a great tool to create a questionnaire and to gain insight into who they are and what makes them tick. The better you know your audience, the better you can target them.

For every question, provide four to five multiple choice answers that you suspect your customers will choose, but always add an “other” option with the chance to write in a response.

What are the important values in your life?

What are your hobbies?

On which websites do you usually spend the most time?

What are your biggest challenges related to [topic of your choice]?

How often do you use our service/product?

  1. Test the Viability of Product Expansion as a Growth Strategy

You always want to test your market first to see if it’s worthwhile putting your time and effort into creating and growing a new product or service. After all why would you want to expend all this energy into product expansion if your audience will have zero interest in it?

To test the viability of this strategy, and before you commit to developing a new product or offering a new service, consider consulting with Bullseye Marketing Consultants for insights. Additionally, tap into your social media followers by sending a Google survey about potential products or services. You can also write an article on LinkedIn with a proposal and see how your followers react to the idea, gathering valuable feedback for your next steps.

When you involve your customers in your business and respond to their concerns, they care more about your brand. And that’s the ultimate goal—loyalty. Social media provides so many opportunities to keep your customers engaged and makes it easier for them to love your product, your service, and your brand.

When social media communities are filled with loyal customers, those communities grow naturally—and so does your business.

Call the experts at Bullseye Marketing to discuss all your specific marketing needs. 561-469-8640.