Turn Customers into Advocates

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Humans are social creatures, and as such, we are far more likely to read books, watch movies or visit restaurants recommended by someone close to us than we are to stumble across them on our own. Some people go so far as to seek out the opinions of their friends before making even a simple buying decision. That’s why a glowing review of your product or service from a customer to one of their friends can be more effective than any marketing campaign—or serves as a great complement to one. But how do you turn lukewarm customers into raving fans, who will sing the praises of your business offerings to anyone within earshot? Here are some key strategies that can turn your customers into advocates, both in person and online.

Let your personality shine

“To get people to like you on Facebook, they have to actually like afghanistan whatsapp number database you, and I think that’s something that’s often overlooked by brands,” says Laura Roeder, founder of LKR Social Media, a series of online training courses that teach small business owners how to set up and leverage social media marketing. “There’s no way to trick someone into becoming a customer advocate. They have to genuinely love your business and love your brand, and in order for that to happen they have to feel like they have a relationship with you,“ she adds.

That involves being more personal and sometimes more vulnerable than a lot of businesses want to be. After all, “you can’t have a personality that someone can connect with if you don’t have any personality at all,” Roeder points out. Anything that you’d feel comfortable discussing with a casual acquaintance is okay fodder for sharing in your communication, and readers may relate to you more when you post pictures, for example, or share small details from your life.

Addressing (or ignoring) negative comments

Getting criticism online is an unfortunate reality of putting yourself out there, but it’s important not to get caught up in random people who aren’t customers complaining about your posts or your business. “When you do turn your customers into advocates, they do a lot of that work for you. You’ll find that you often don’t have to go in and address certain concerns because your customers will pop up before you even get a chance to and say, ‘That’s not right’ or ‘That’s not accurate,’” Roeder says.

However, customers are also looking to see whether you react positively to online haters or lose your cool. Roeder always advises small business owners not to engage. “If it’s comments on your blog and your Facebook page, you are welcome to delete them. There is no law saying you have to keep them up, and if it’s just people being negative and making the space not fun for anyone else, there’s no reason you need to keep it there.” Use your best judgment in these cases because some folks frown