Social media is the ideal way to really know what makes your customers tick.

In the past, you may have asked them to fill in surveys or arranged focus groups. There are so many questionnaires on line now that many people do not bother filling them in, and focus groups are effective but expensive. This positions social media is one of the best ways to get to know your customers.

Creating a customer profile

There are many companies that provide insight into social media demographics. This enables businesses to create a detailed profile of their typical customer, so that they can tailor products and services to appeal to them.

Businesses can read what customers are saying on Twitter and see what images they are posting on Instagram. All this available information provides a deeper understanding of what they like and dislike.

The value of social media complaints

People tend to say what they think on social media. In the past, if a customer had a negative experience of a brand, they would probably tell their friends, but not necessarily inform the business. Nowadays, they will detail their experience on social media. This may initially have a negative impact on a business, but such a problem provides an opportunity: social media alerts businesses to issues so that they can be fixed, and this prevents the loss of customers.

Social media users can evangelise your brand

If a business posts images of their products on social media, then this will be seen as advertising. If other people post images of themselves using products, or wearing brand T-shirts on Facebook or Instagram, it is seen as a genuine endorsement and a recommendation for the brand.

If you are a small business owner, then it really pays to appreciate the value of social media as a way of getting to know your customers.

John Murray

John is every inch the wordsmith and loves a game of Scrabble above all else. With experience writing for newspapers, John’s time at university was spent studying Creative Writing – something which comes across in his love of the pun.