Brands have to communicate with customers for a variety of reasons. If there is a new product launch, brands have to reach existing and potential customers to make them aware. If there are changes such as price reductions or price increases, consumers should be informed. Moreover, in case there are concerns over the product, the brand has to reach out to its customers. With so many channels that you can use to reach out and communicate with your customers, it’s important that you’re using the right tool for the right purpose.
Here are four online channels that you can use to communicate with customers:
Social Media
Marketers should definitely consider using social media channels to communicate with their target audience. Social media has quickly become the number one online platform to communicate with your customers. You can create official pages for your brand on social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
You should also consider creating a fan page for your company on Facebook. This allows you to have more control over content that’s being published on the page since an administrator will be able to post content, monitor comments left by users under each post, and manage ads.
Moreover, you should create posts that are designed specifically for engaging potential customers and existing customers. These posts should include information about new products, sales discounts, or limited time offers. You can also make use of pictures or videos which will help grab the attention of readers. It would also be beneficial if you included some sort of call-to-action. This would prompt users to take the next step after reading your post, for example, by clicking on a link to visit your website or following you on another social media channel.
Online Messaging Apps
Many brands are also present in some of the most popular online messaging apps around. Facebook Messenger, Viber, WeChat, and Telegram are useful tools that brands can use to reach out to customers. If you want to stay in touch with your customers, consider creating a presence in these apps. Simply create an official page for your brand or develop one-to-one conversations with existing and potential customers.
All you have to do is sign up for an account on any of these messaging apps and then add users who are interested in knowing more about your products or services. You can use these channels to provide live updates about any messages that you receive from new and existing customers. For instance, if a customer messages you about a product and asks where he can get it, simply let him know that it’s available on your website at a discounted price.
Brands can also host contests on these messaging apps. However, it’s better to have a group manager for Telegram, Viber, or WeChat to oversee content production and moderate discussions.
Live Website Chat
There’s no better way to communicate with your customers than live chat. This is where you can provide instant answers and increased convenience for your shoppers at the same time. While some online stores prefer email support, this might take too long depending on the urgency of a customer’s concern.
Live chat is also a good tool to help increase conversions because it gives consumers the opportunity to ask questions about products or make changes to their orders. Live chat can even be used to offer discounts during peak shopping hours as a means of encouraging conversion since research has shown that consumers are more inclined to buy when they see deals and limited-time offers.
Email Marketing
Since e-mail marketing has been proven as one of the most effective ways for reaching out to customers, businesses should definitely take advantage of this tool. The key is to create different campaigns that would appeal to both new and existing customers. SMEs can easily segment their email lists based on where they are in the conversion funnel.
Sending an email campaign is a good way to introduce new products, answer questions from your audience or alert them about any changes in your store’s policies. You can also use e-mail marketing as a way to provide discounts and promotions for specific items that you want to sell quickly before they go out of stock.
There are many ways that you can use to communicate with your customers. Your brand doesn’t have to choose just one. Most of the time, giving your customers multiple options is better for the business. Just make sure that, by having an omnichannel approach, you continue to give quality service to all customers.