Quality content in the right spaces will give you the influence you’re looking for.

Social media engagement is crucial to your brand. But with so many factors to consider, it can be a challenge to know what to focus on and how to begin.

Choosing platforms, cultivating a profile, and connecting with customers are good places to start.  In this blog, we’re going to show you how to craft your customer outreach to optimize opportunities and enhance your online presence.

Customer outreach on social media can be a daunting task. Which tools and platforms should you use? How do you engage the influencers in your space? What does a smart strategy involve? In this article, we will expand the thoughts that we started in our previous article “Importance of Social Media for Female Entrepreneurs” and explore 5 tips for connecting with customers on social media.

1. Find your audience  

To engage with your customers, you first need to know where they are. A well-crafted campaign does little good if no one can see it. Do your clients and customers frequent Facebook or Twitter more often? Have you connected with your demographic on Instagram? What about SnapChat? 

The number of platforms continues to grow, but thankfully, you don’t need to be active on all of them. Choosing a strategic few is your best bet for maximum connection.

If you’re not sure where to begin, there are a few major players to consider. Take a look at these platforms and see if they’re a good fit for your industry and brand:

• Facebook – Mostly used by gen X and older millennials, one of the oldest and largest communities.
• Twitter – Also huge, with a focus on current events, business, and global issues. Audience tends to be more highly educated and over 25.
• Instagram – Photo and video sharing platform popular with millennials. Owned by Facebook, but caters to a slightly younger, hipster crowd.
• Snapchat and TikTok – Used mainly by gen Z and alpha generations (the youngest of users).
• YouTube – This video platform is technically not a social media community, but is worth mentioning as it’s the world’s second-largest search engine after Google.
• Pinterest – Used mostly by women of all ages. Not necessarily a social platform, but it can be a good avenue to finding or creating an audience.  Read more about developing a Pinterest Strategy.

There are loads more options, but this list encompasses the biggest population of users relevant to customer outreach.

2. Create stellar profiles

Once you’ve found your audience, you need to create a presence they want to identify with. Each platform has different ways to showcase your brand’s offerings and personality. 

Make sure you have a clear bio with links back to your website.  Use images that fit the platform you are posting to. There are different resolutions and size constraints for each platform.  Getting images right can be a make or break on many social platforms. Social media is highly relational in nature, so including quality headshots in profile pictures or posts may be a great option. 

3. Cultivate connections

Encouraging buy-in from quality customers is a slow and steady process. This is so important to remember! Selling on social takes time – you don’t want to drop a sale into someone’s DM whom you’ve never met, you have to create relationships first. And while you won’t get thousands of followers overnight, there are some ways you can grow your engagement and build your community.

Beyond your initial networks of friends and business contacts, it can be hard to find connections on your own. This is when utilizing the influencers in your space can be helpful. Starting with friends and family can help the social platforms to recognize your account and see that different types of users are interested.

Influencers in your industry act as salespeople and intermediaries for customer outreach. They have their own crowd of interested followers who trust their opinions. They can be found by using search functions within the platform, or by using software like BuzzSumo. 

Approaching influencers requires some level of trust and mutuality before asking for any favors or business partnerships. Cultivate a real relationship by liking, sharing, and commenting on their content. Give them a legitimate reason for collaborating with you by establishing credibility first.

4. Smart social strategy

Be intentional in your outreach strategy. This will vary by platform to some extent, and should include these elements:

• Only post quality content targeted at your audience (always quality over quantity!)
• Schedule posts for optimal times of day.
• Determine the frequency of postings.
• Tailor your content to match the voice of the platform.
• Be consistent! Engage regularly and respond quickly.

A quick response is one of the best ways to build relationships and trust with a customer. This involves handling issues, but also includes positive interactions like thanking them for a positive comment or retweeting their review. 

In any public arena relating to your business, the importance of quality content coupled with regular engagement cannot be overstated. Great content is essential for authentic engagement with customers, and sets you up for good public relations on social media.

5. Breathe

The explosion of social media and its impact on business can be overwhelming. It’s impossible to keep up with all the platforms, trends, and strategies. When cultivating your presence, it’s ok to start and stay small. Remember to relax, and only focus on the spaces and audiences that really matter. 

Customer outreach takes consistency and patience. One step at a time, in the right direction, will get you established effectively in the places you belong.