Want to succeed in social media? Don’t forget your existing customers!

When people ask me to help their business or organisation make the most of social media I always ask them “Why?” because I want to know what their expectations are.

A very common answer is that they want to find more customers and they think social media will open them up to a whole new group of people who will see their message.

I understand that to a degree marketing is a numbers game but focusing entirely on broadcasting to a larger audience misses the point entirely and it doesn’t really serve business goals in the most effective way possible.

Yes, social media makes sharing information with others quick and easy but, in the end, you want to see results that make a difference to your business.

One of the best ways to make the most of social media is to connect with your existing customers, who are hopefully brand advocates. Find them online, listen to what they’re sharing, share their stories and give them content to share with their networks. This helps you get two things: referrals and return business.

After your employees, existing customers are your most important asset. Not only are they people with whom you don’t need to make awkward overtures online, they already know how good you are at what you do. This is where the ”quick and easy“ comes in. Social media makes it quick and easy for them to share that knowledge and your content with others. Keep track of their activity and reward them for their referrals. Sometimes even a simple thank you is reward enough but considering helping them with their needs where you can.

I’m not saying that you won’t ALSO find new non-referral business by engaging online, but not only does nurturing your relationships with your current customers make good sense, it inspires confidence in your prospective customers and increases the likelihood of people talking about you.

Referrals are a very important part of a successful business. So much so that a common practice in several companies such as Philips,GE, Allianz, P&G, Intuit, and American Express

(according to Wikipedia) is to ask customers”The Ultimate Question“: How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?

If you measure the responses on a scale of 1 (very unlikely) to 10 (very likely), you can get an understanding of who your advocates are (They’ll score you 9–10) and if you have work to do, which is indicated by the proportion of those who are easily swayed (scores of 6–8) and those who wouldn’t refer you (scored of 5 and below).

Do you know what your customers would say? What steps will you take to engage with them online?