It’s almost Valentine’s Day, with the usual expectations of fancy dinners, boxes of chocolate and flowers. It is the one day of the year when millions find a way to show their loved ones they care. It can also be the perfect time of the year to explore new ways to show appreciation and gratitude towards your customers on social media. Spread some love through customer engagement!

3 Easy Ways to Master Customer Engagement

Are You Showing Your Customers Some Love on Social Media?

Here are three no-brainer easy ways to master customer engagement and show “affection” (aka love) to your customers:

#1 – Engage with your customers

Customer Engagement: Heart valentine candy

This is an opportunity for you to engage with your customers. Make them feel special on Valentine’s Day. You have to focus on their individual needs and customize your engagement approach to match them. When your customers feel that you have addresed their needs, they are more likely to remain loyal.

Here are five great ways to engage with your customers on Twitter and social media:

  1. Offer to Retweet. Send a message to your customers asking if there’s something you can share for them this week.
  2. Comment on Links. Don’t just share links, comment on them. Your customers don’t want to just see the resources you’re sharing – they also want to know why you’re sharing them. And what you thought about them. Comment!
  3. Write a thank you Tweet. Think of a person who has helped your business in the last month.  Get in the habit of saying thank you. You might just brighten up their day. Queue up a few thank you Tweets to trickle out over the week.
  4. Tweet a customer and ask how they’re doing – no sales talk, no ulterior motive. Be genuinely interested in your customer or client. It helps solidify that you care about their needs.
  5. Tweet, Facebook or Pin a Tip. Send a quick message that is relevant to your customer’s needs. Make it a weekly or regularly scheduled action to receive the best results from your time.

Tool: Install the dlvr.it button.

Once the button is installed, it is easy to share selected text, a Tweet or a website with your comments. Features:

  • Instant sharing of Tweets right from your Twitter feed at optimal times
  • Reduce your workload and increase your productivity

For other great ways to engage with your customers on social media, read how to Increase Engagement by Turning Twitter Followers into Customers.

#2 – Listen

Customer Engagement: Sorry, how can we help?

Customer service managers cannot ignore the value of listening to their customers on social media. You need to be a great listener: pay attention to what they are saying.

Surprisingly (or not), 42% of people expect a response within 60 minutes. Customer service monitoring is the only type of monitoring that should be done in ‘near’ real-time. Encourage customer feedback and participate in conversations across social media.

Tool: Use an affordable tool like Mention to monitor who is talking about your business.

For an additional refresher as to why it’s important to listen to your customers and gain customer loyalty on social media, read How to Convert Your Twitter Favorites into a Feed of Customer Testimonials.

#3 – Give a surprising gift – Write a handwritten note

Customer Engagement: Thank you note with penDon’t want to go too “old school” on you but…the single best way to show customer love is through a hand written thank you note.

Most people are not accustomed to that level of personal customer service anymore. Customers appreciate gifts, especially when they are not expecting them. Valentine’s Day should not pass unnoticed by your customers.

Tools: Pen, paper (note card) and a stamp

For a recent refresher, read Handwriting as a Marketing Advantage.

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Now it’s your turn, show your customers some love on social media.