Ways to increase your customer base through the use of Social Media!
Step 1 - Be available and accessible on socials.
Now you might already be thinking... well I am always available and accessible on socials? I'm logged in 24/7, I have the app on my phone, it comes every where with me and I check my notifications. If you answered yes to even one of those, keep reading because that does not necessarily mean you and your business are available and accessible through your social channels.
Whenever I plan to take a trip to a new venue, restaurant, bar or pub, 9 times out of 10 I will check their socials first... before I even look at their website! Now, this doesn't go for everyone.. and this may just be a 'generational thing'. But the truth is, if your target market are people who are likely to be quite active on their socials then I can bet that they would likely do the same!
So... what exactly does it mean to be available and to be accessible on socials? First thing, the obvious, have a social media page. It's quite likely that you will already have this and it may even be absolutely booming with regular content and great insights! However, if you are running your business and trying to 'man' your social media as well as respond to booking enquiries and so on... it could be incredibly likely that the last thing you will think to do is to check the messages on your instagram page or your Facebook page for example. This is where you may be missing a trick!
Being accessible on socials means interacting with your followers and those who choose to interact with your page and content. In turn, this will boost your page and quite possibly naturally increase your insights also. Everyone loves the feeling of ease in todays modern world, so being able to click a button and get a fast response is always appealing to any customer. For example, in the event that someone had a question, they may choose to interact via socials rather than email. Being available can instantly make your venue more appealing to certain end users.
There are many other benefits to being available on socials, but ultimately this could be a great contributor to increasing your customer base and widening your audience. If your target audience sit within the ages of 18-35, I'd highly recommend exploring this avenue.
Step 2 - Create a social branding that aligns with your voice!
This is key and correlates closely with step 1! Every business/ venue/ company has a target market, so it is likely that your branding will align with this. It is so important to carry this branding through to your social channels as this could be the first thing people ever experience with your business! A great example of this would be if you were a super fun venue, like an indoor crazy golf party bar for example... you may want to take a fun, jokey brand voice approach! This can be created through the use of wording on posts, the kind of content you create and also the way you respond to social media comments and so much more.
When on the likes of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, some of the most sought after brands have really nailed their brand voice and can often throw quite brutal banter and sarcastic comments to their end user.. but it works for them and aligns with their branding! So naturally they are attracting their targeted end user through their brand voice alone, which in turn will benefit their business.
I'm certainly not suggesting everyone should throw tough and sarcastic comments out to their followers because this certainly wouldn't work for many venues and companies! Steer clear if you're going for the 'elegant, chic' vibe! It is simply about understanding what you represent and portraying this through your social channels. Effectively it allows your end user to have an all inclusive experience with you from start to finish!
Step 3 - Showcase your events and offers online!
By showcasing key information online, this can create excitement and increase your traffic through your target audience! Everyone loves a deal so if these are showcased on your socials, this could be someones deciding factor as to whether they visit your venue or another!
For example, knowing about 2-4-1 cocktails.. or bottomless brunch deals! If I like the venue, i'll always go to bars that have great drinks offers because why wouldn't you?! If you can double the amount of drink in one venue, compared to the next.. it's a no brainer!
It may be that you have a set menu offer or a weekend 'exclusive'! Making sure there is hype behind this will allow you to truly get the most out of the offers you are putting on and will help you achieve the results you are looking for as a business. Showcasing this on socials gives you the ability to reach a far wider audience then just those who may walk by your venue or choose to eat there.
Step 4 - Host competitions through your social channels.
Hosting competitions have proven to be a way to reach a larger audience than your existing follower base. How? Well, you may see different brands and companies posting competitions that go something like this: 'Like, follow, share to your story and tag 4 of your friends for a chance to WIN ...!'
This is such a great strategy as it can expose your business to thousands, if not 10's of thousands more people! For example, you could have 1 person with 3,000 followers share this to their story which may average at 600-1000 views. Out of that, you could then have another 10 people share this which could expose you again to a further 1-3k people per individual post! (Or more in some circumstances).
You can see how the above can have such a domino affect and massively increase your insights and hopefully some footfall!
There are so many methods that can be used to increase your customer base through the use of social media. The world is your oyster! I hope you found the above insightful and if you would ever like further tips or tricks on socials, stay tuned to my channels!
Youtube: maisiehopkins
Instagram: luxesocials_
Facebook: Luxe Socials
And if you feel that these services are things you could benefit from, please don't hesitate to contact me for a free consultation where we can cater a programme to your business needs.