Social Media Strategy: Attract Customers and Retain Them

It’s clear that social media is one of the most powerful tools small-business owners can use to connect with customers. For one, it’s a great place to highlight your expertise and nurture relationships, elements that can go a long way toward building your business. Connecting with customers through social media can also increase qualified leads and drive profits.

What might be less clear is how to attract new customers and retain current ones using social media.

Here are some tips on how to help acquire customers through social media and how to build their loyalty to your company.

7 Social Media Strategies to Attract and Retain Customers

In "The 2023 State of Social Media Report," a survey of 750 business leaders by Sprout Social, 94% of respondents say social media has a positive impact on brand loyalty, and 90% agree that their company’s success depends on how effectively they use social media data to inform business strategy. The most successful business leaders know it can take more than just uploading regular posts on social to successfully attract and retain customers. To establish a strong presence and stand out from the competition on social media platforms, businesses need to develop effective strategies that will increase brand visibility and foster engagement and loyalty among customers.

Here are seven social media strategies that can help small businesses not only attract customers but retain them over the long haul.

1. Make real connections.

People use social media to connect with others. Having a business social media profile is useful for building your brand’s awareness, but engaging with people drives continued loyalty.

Responding in a genuine way across social platforms can help promote your brand beyond your immediate social network.

To help make connections with customers, consider a few actions you can make:

• Liking any positive brand comments and comment back with your appreciation.
• Providing social media customer service by responding to any complaints.
• Privately reaching out to people who mention you to offer referrals or loyalty deals.
• Sharing fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes or videos about your business’s craft.
• Creating private groups as you build a following, so you can engage directly with your customers, answer questions, and troubleshoot problems.

Responding in a genuine way across social platforms can help promote your brand beyond your immediate social network.

2. Provide real-time customer service.

Attracting customers through social media is one thing. Offering real-time customer service can take your brand loyalty to a whole new level. In fact, customers value brands that pay close attention to the feedback they receive and take the time to send personalized messages. The 2023 Sprout Social Index, which surveyed over 1,800 consumers and 900 marketers across the U.S. and U.K., shows that 51% of consumers say the most memorable action a brand can take on social is simply providing a response, and 70% expect personalized messages.

Speed is also important. When customers have a problem, they expect companies to react quickly; 69% expect a customer service response within the same day of seeking assistance, according to the same Sprout Social Index.

You don’t have to monitor your social media 24/7, but being available to respond to questions or direct people to someone who can help them can not only show you care, but can also put you ahead of the competition while encouraging loyalty.

3. Build brand awareness.

People want to buy from companies they already know and trust, so you need to ensure they know about you. The best way to do so can be by building social media profiles on the platforms your customers use regularly. Try to write an engaging and authentic profile, then commit to regularly posting and connecting with people in your target market. This can enhance your brand and build awareness.

Another option can be to tap into social media influencers who have large and engaged followings. This allows businesses to build on the influencers’ credibility and gain access to their loyal audiences. A 2022 study of 2,072 U.S. adults by computer technology company Oracle and CRM industry analyst Brent Leary, partner of CRM Essentials, found that consumers are increasingly relying on social media influencers when making purchasing decisions, with 37% saying they trust influencers more than brands.

There are plenty of examples of large brands signing hefty contracts with famous people, but your business doesn’t have to spend millions to harness the power of influencer marketing. Many businesses of all sizes today collaborate with “micro-influencers” – people with relatively small but highly engaged audiences – to help promote their products. Consider carefully choosing people who not only have a loyal following but represent your target audience.

You may even want to consider a common social media strategy used by big companies: paid social ads. With a relatively low barrier to entry, you can test targeted local ad campaigns on social media channels to earn immediate awareness.

4. Share relevant, informative content.

To get the attention of customers, small businesses should consider creating and sharing content on social media that informs, entertains, or solves problems for consumers. For example, do you typically get asked the same questions over and over by new and potential customers? Consider using those questions as the basis for some social media posts to share with your network.

To further build trust and engagement with customers, your social media content can reflect your expertise in a particular field through product demos, how-to videos, and informative articles.

For example, America’s Test Kitchen, which produces TV shows, cookbooks, and magazines, posts engaging photos and videos on its social media channels. The company provides its audience with plenty of advice about which kitchen gadgets work best and offers step-by-step instructions for preparing a variety of dishes using creative cooking techniques. Similarly, Dollar Shave Club has built a loyal following by entertaining social media users with witty videos and product demonstrations while also providing grooming advice, mostly geared toward men.

These examples illustrate the importance of creating content that is fun and engaging without being overly salesy.

5. Consider social media listening.

Social media monitoring platforms can help you monitor when your brand is mentioned. By listening in on these conversations, you can gain valuable insights into what customers are saying about your products and services, allowing you to improve your current offerings as well as develop new ones. It can also be a good idea to monitor your competitors’ social media channels to stay on top of competitor strategies, industry trends, and any gaps in the market your business can fill.

In addition, to make sure you don’t miss out on the portion of your target audience that doesn’t know you or didn’t tag you in a post, consider actively using social media to search for phrases pertinent to your company. If you sell makeup, for example, put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What might they search for? Maybe someone created an Instagram post asking, “What’s the best lipstick for dry lips?” Try to search these terms – or other keywords, hashtags, questions, and phrases relevant to your offerings – to find potential new customers. Then, consider jumping into conversations, offering advice or simply showcasing your products.

By actively listening and engaging with prospects, you can help uncover new opportunities and make meaningful connections with potential customers.

6. Encourage social recommendations.

People can rely on reviews when they make purchasing decisions. Social media can make it easy to share what other people think about your business. Satisfied customers can become authentic advocates for your brand, which can help get the attention of prospective customers, so try to encourage your current customers to share their positive experiences with your company on social media.

A local cafe, for instance, might encourage customers to post photos of their lattes on social media and provide discounts or freebies for tagging the business. Or a pet grooming service might ask pet owners to post pictures of their dogs before and after being groomed, throwing in a free nail clipping for a positive review.

7. Run contests to attract leads.

Consider using social media contests to attract customers. These contests can encourage people to follow you, post on your page, share your page with others, or submit photos. In return, you can get new followers, boost your traffic, and increase your qualified leads.

Contests don’t have to be expensive to run. Offer a voucher or a fun prize and encourage people to share photos related to your business. When running a contest, make sure to follow all state and federal rules and guidelines, as well as any platform-specific guidelines.

To give people even more of an incentive to follow your business, consider offering social-media-only discounts on products and services. Let prospective customers know the benefits they will receive when they sign onto your social media channels, such as exclusive access to sales and coupons. These perks can provide the nudge they need to make a purchase.

The Bottom Line

Businesses can use social media in a variety of creative ways to attract and keep customers. If you’re not already doing so, it’s worth exploring ways to engage customers on social media. By providing entertaining and informative content, offering exclusive promotions, and responding quickly to consumer feedback on social, companies can build meaningful relationships with customers, allowing businesses to remain competitive and drive growth.

Photo: Getty Images