In this age of online storefronts and digital services, it can be easy to forget how important direct hu man interaction is to business success. Among the many changes in business practices the pandemic has caused, the way that you connect with your customers is one of the biggest ones. Many in-person meetings are no longer possible, which is making online communication a must. Fortunately, many businesses already had at least partial online presences, and now some are going fully remote. This means that it is easier now than it ever was to communicate directly with customers through the internet. Here are some helpful tactics you can implement to communicate with your customers directly online.
Host A Google Hangout Or Webinar
First, if your business has a lot of useful content or information to share, you could host a Google hangout or webinar. While you can’t have meetings with customers in-person just yet, you can take advantage of the online technology that we all have access to. Webinars and Google Hangouts are the best innovations for connecting directly with customers. They allow you to reach a large target market on one platform. Instead of meeting with a small group of people, you can ask all your customers to attend. In your webinar, you could teach business skills, technological tools, or anything regarding the product or service area you provide. This improves your business authority and also your relationship with customers and potential leads.
Offer A Chatbot
Another way to foster direct communication is through a chatbot. Many business owners are learning the importance of using chatbots for SMBs in communicating with customers online. By having a chatbot available on your website, customers can get answers to the questions they have instantly. The best part is that the chatbot is pre-programmed with some of your most common answers so that you don’t have to pay for an employee to answer every question. The chatbot will alert your staff members when a question needs human interaction. This lets filter out customers so you can focus on the most important direct interactions.
Release Informative Videos
Another way to communicate directly is by gaining customer loyalty. Customer loyalty makes your customers feel as if they have a direct connection to your brand. One of the best ways to gain customer loyalty and establish yourself as an authority in your field is to release informative videos. These can be how-to videos for solving common problems, or they can be product review videos. Just make sure that you’re offering valuable information. This will establish you as an authority on the subject and make you more trustworthy for your consumers.
Use Social Media
Finally, you should always ensure your business is on every useful social media page. Social media is a great way to stay connected with customers throughout the pandemic. With the high rate of views from many people, you can be sure that they will see your posts. Customers can easily post questions about your products or services on your social media pages. This allows you easy access to publicly answer their questions.
The pandemic has changed the way we do a lot of things. How you effectively communicate with others is one of the biggest changes that you must embrace to stay in business. The above are just four of the many ways you can communicate with your customers online. The more streams of communication that you offer, the easier it’s going to be for your customers to enjoy connecting with you when they need to.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan