How to use social media to build better customer relationships

Social media is a great tool for businesses and it can help you in so many ways, such as increasing your visibility. It’s also a great way to connect with others, such as other entrepreneurs and customers. Because it connects you with customers, it really gives you the opportunity to build stronger relationships with them as well as those who are potential customers.

So let’s take a look at how you can use social media to build better customer relationships this year!

Be social

This one may seem obvious, and we’ve mentioned it again and again, but it’s so important we couldn’t overlook it. If you’re on social media, actually be social! Comment on other peoples posts, reply to comments and direct messages, react to stories, like others’ posts, etc. When you consistently engage with other users, it helps build and nurture the connections that you’re making.

This leads us to the next point, which we mentioned briefly above but deserves more emphasis…

Respond to Direct Messages

You NEED to respond to direct messages/chats. Do you have to respond to all of them? Well, the real answer is no, because you’ll likely get a bunch of spam ones, but you’ll be able to weed many of those out just by reading them. For example, the message may not make sense or align with what your business is. Aside from that, you should be responding - and responding fairly quickly, because consumers expect a quick response. Some messages may not require much, maybe just a few emojis like a heart as a reply, but there will be some that need a bit more than that. For example, some people may want to know more about a product or service, they may have a complaint or issue, whatever the case may be, you should take a look and respond appropriately.

Listen to your customers

Customers will often use social media to express what they want to see from your brand, such as product feedback and suggestions, LISTEN to them. For example, maybe many of your customers have shared that they wish you’d bring back a discontinued or seasonal item, or maybe they want a product in another colourway. Whatever the feedback is, listen to your customers and look for ways to improve or expand on your products and/or services.

Use User Generated Content

User Generated Content or UGC is content created by your customers and because it’s not your typical traditional marketing and advertising, so it can feel a lot more authentic and trustworthy. Sharing UGC can help build and strengthen your connection with the person who created the content but also with your followers as a whole. If you are planning on using UGC and unless you’re just reposting on X or TikTok, we suggest asking for permission before you repost the content created by someone else.

Even just resharing customer posts to Instagram Stories if they’ve tagged you can help build your connection!

Host giveaways/contests

Hosting a giveaway or a contest can be a great way to “reward” your followers. It’s also a good way to boost your visibility as users will likely be tagging their friends and/or sharing the contest post to their Instagram Stories, and more (your contest eligibility rules will dictate how you want them to spread the word).  

Looking for more tips, tricks, and guides for all your marketing and PR needs? Check out our blog for more! You can search by category, tags, or by keyword!