Five Ways to Stay Connected With Customers in Today’s World

Staying connected with customers is always important, but it’s even more important in today’s world, when people are worried about visiting in-person stores. Whether you exclusively sell products in-person or you sell in-person and online, you need to be reaching out to customers even more than before. The problem is that many people don’t know how. Here are five useful tips if you want to stay connected with customers during this period of time.

1. Communicate COVID-19 Protections Clearly

If your in-person business location is open, you need to communicate all guidelines and protections the business is taking to avoid dangers from COVID-19. For example, if you require customers to wear masks, you have hand sanitizer available on the premises, or you’re offering curbside pickup instead of just in-store shopping, these are all things your customers want to know.

2. Ask Customers to Write Positive Reviews for Your Business

There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to satisfied customers and asking them directly to write positive reviews for the business. Having a positive rating on websites like Yelp and Google Maps can encourage new customers to visit your business. Additionally, some of these websites may allow you to add business information like your COVID-19 precautions.

3. Publish Blog Posts Talking to Your Customers

One of the things that many companies have a hard time with is knowing what to do with their blog. Many websites come with a blog, but what should you write these blog posts about? About once a month, you might want to publish a blog post targeted to your customers. These blog posts might highlight a specific customer, give advice to customers on getting the most out of their shopping experience, or otherwise discuss important things that customers might want to know.

4. Install Live Customer Service Chat on Your Website

A live customer service chat option allows people browsing on your website to get immediate help if they have any questions or concerns. Live customer service chat gives online browsing the same feeling as in-person browsing. It also makes your customers feel as though you really care about them, which can be a great way to make them feel more connected to your business.

5. Maximize Your Social Media Reach

Remember, social media is a great way to reach out to your customers. Many companies do it, including huge businesses as well as small entrepreneur-run businesses. You might want to consider running social media contests every month or quarter, for example. Some companies offer coupons to individuals who post on social media about their company or run contests to see who can get the most “likes” on a post about the company. Putting this kind of effort into your social media reach can improve your chances of getting a second purchase from satisfied customers.

Conclusion

Connecting with customers isn’t always easy, but it is possible. It’s also important to remember that the ways in which you connect with customers will grow and change over the years. This is a normal part of business; it’s just that the changes that are occurring right now can seem more daunting than previous changes. As long as you’re keeping up with these changes, you’ll be likely to find an even more committed customer base than before.