Keeping Your Customers Engaged After the Contest is Over
Increasing "Likes" and "Follows" may seem important, but how you engage those people is critical.
The top goal of every client I meet with is to increase the number of "Likes" and "Followers" on their social media pages, but they’re unaware that these metrics don’t accurately gauge a brand’s success. Contests and promotions are great ways to boost these numbers immediately, but the more important question is how to hold on to your customers’ interest after the winning is over.
Social media gives brands an opportunity to listen to customers’ conversations and then speak to them on a more personal level while actually understanding what they want and providing the conduit for a much deeper connection. There is no ROI on trust and loyalty, but when you put the sales first mentality aside and truly connect with people, you build trust, and potentially a customer for life. Brands like Oreo, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts have been able to make these kinds of connections. By building an audience of loyal customers, they’re able to create the viral content that we talk about every day while generating the kinds of metrics that we all envy.
Provide value to people’s lives beyond the contest. When you connect with them, you build trust, and only then do you earn the right to monetize that relationship. Listen, be accountable, earn, empower and help. We’re in a time where customer service is lacking and the customer’s voice is becoming more valuable to your business’ success. A "Like" may be the most visible metric on the surface, but 200 passionate brand ambassadors will have a much greater impact on your success than 10,000 disconnected "Followers".