Do you really want to know the secret behind growing your social media following?
Customer Service! If you’re a business that doesn’t use social media to promote your products and services, then at least provide amazing customer service to enhance a customer's experience with your brand. This can be done by simply liking/sharing photos your company has been tagged in and replying to comments/messages in a timely manner. I will share a few of my secrets on what I do continuously to grow a businesses' social media following without paid advertisements.
A lot of you have asked me how I’ve done it, specifically with Abnormal Beer Co. To provide some insight, I managed to grow Abnormal's Instagram following from 12k-27k with 100+ NEW followers consistently each week... Yes, 100+ new followers every week. So let me tell you what you need... The answer is... 100% PASSION. Customer Service is driven by passion, especially through social media. So with that, remember to always keep your customer and your audience in mind. Start with putting yourself in the shoes of your consumer and go from there. A lot of companies and businesses are now realizing the power of social media and how this tool can propel them forward. For every platform like Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter, a little goes a long way. So if you are a Social Media Manager, you should know that you absolutely need to dedicate the time and you must have the passion behind it to drive the experience home, leaving a lasting impression on your customer.
Always remember to:
Cater to their needs
Listen to their feedback
Spread the love!
Respond to their comments & messages
Make them feel like they matter, because they do!
Always go above and beyond their expectations
Now, let's get into it!
Cater to their needs
What information does your target audience want to see and read about? How can you provide that information to them? Leave them wanting more and waiting for new info to come out. This all circles back to Content Marketing. (To go back and read my first blog on content marketing, hit BLOG under the Navigation bar.)
Listen to their feedback
The best productive criticism you can receive is by asking your followers directly! A great way to do this is by using the poll feature on Instagram stories. To relate back to the beer industry, ask questions like, “What beer styles do you want to see more of?” or ask a question getting their opinion about a specific product. You can even send out a survey. By asking for their feedback, you are letting them know you really do care and making them feel heard. Gathering info like this can be very helpful.
Spread the love!
Go on a liking spree and like every photo and post your company is tagged in. It’s such a simple task and so easy to do. Your followers will take notice of you taking the time to acknowledge their post. Even take it a step further and look up hashtags for content relating to your business, and double tap to your heart’s content. This can attract people or pages that might not be already following you back to your business. Every morning, I will dedicate at least 15-20 minutes to catch up on photos either myself or my clients have been tagged in and I’m tapping away showing love back. I also check notifications religiously throughout the day so I don't lose them in the feed of likes.
Respond to their comments & messages
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fangirled when a brand, company, or celebrity has liked my post or replied to a comment on social media. For example, I’ve had a major adoration for a particular singer by the name of John West from Los Angeles, and have followed his journey for over a decade now. He announced a show in LA after being on hiatus for years. I purchased my tickets and shared it to my instagram story tagging him in it. Not expecting him to acknowledge my post whatsoever, he replied to my story and thanked me for my support. I instantly felt like a teeny bopper and couldn’t believe he took the time to reply. But little things like that can take your social media following to the next level. You are making them feel something.
When I was managing Abnormal’s social media pages, I would personally make an effort to reply back to each person’s comments, leave a comment on each person’s post, and re-share photos on our feed. This goes back to engaging with your audience. I feel and know that by doing that, it made such a huge impact on the following at Abnormal. Why wouldn’t you want to show love back to people who love your brand? Let them know you appreciate their love and support. It’s just silly not to!
Make them feel like they matter, because they do
Your social media followers just may be your biggest fans and loyal supporters. Give your audience a shoutout and a huge thank you as much as you can. For every post you are tagged in, leave a comment. Invest the time. Stay humble. You can never get too big or too busy for the people that have given their support, especially from the beginning. This mindset will set you apart from other brands offering the same products and services as you do. A great way to show appreciation is by doing a social media contest every now & then to give back.
Always go above and beyond their expectations
I’d like to share a personal experience I had while at Abnormal. (Here is another nugget of info for my fellow Marketing/Social Media Managers in the beer industry…) Whenever there were new cans coming out, I would post their locations and where to find them. This was a win/win all around for vendors, their customers, and for the A-Team. By promoting the vendors, it made it easier for customers to find the product, and therefore, encouraging sales.
Here's a personal share of mine- On a post sharing locations of where to find Abnormal cans on the Abnormal Instagram account, I took notice of a few comments in a thread. A gentleman by the IG name of, @beerdedadventures was inquiring about finding Abnormal cans in Arizona. Unfortunately Abnormal was self distro at the time and were not supplying to Arizona. BUT a comment left by another gentleman, IG name @craft_beer_with_mike got my attention. He replied to @beerdedadventures comment saying he would be making a road trip out to Arizona soon and he would be happy to stop by Abnormal to pick up some cans and deliver them to him. They did not know eachother, btw. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? I immediately had to participate in the awesomeness and volunteer to stock them with cans for this delivery. I made arrangements for @craft_beer_with_mike to pick up some cans from us and he successfully made the road trip to Arizona and met up with @beerdedadventures to give him the goods. They took a photo together and thanked us for making this happen. I was touched. Creating experiences like this is what it’s all about for me. This is passion. This is going above and beyond their expectations. This is what makes it worth it for me… To this day, Mike and I remain in touch. (Shoutout to you, Mike! You’re so awesome! Thank you for being a wonderful human!)
Customer Service through Social Media is real. You can impact your followers in so many ways. Figure out your angle, your voice, and how to make the delivery. Create an experience from beginning to end and all of the moments in between to make a lasting impression.