#1: “Social Listening”
Use your listening skills to learn what your customers prefer and use those preferences to deepen their loyalty to your business. Consider the following:

• What marketing campaigns seem to generate “social buzz” – contests, refer a friend, new product announcements?
• What products, services and sites are being talked about? Are any of these your competitors?
• Comments regarding your business or someone else’s – what is being done right (that you should replicate) or what might need to be addressed?

#2: Identify and Embrace Your Brand Ambassadors
The most frequent customers of your products and services are your social VIPs. Embrace them with EXTRAS for helping spread the good word about YOU. Consider offering extra discounts, exclusive products and product giveaways for engaging deeper with you on social media.

#3: Develop a Strategy
By matching customer preferences to your business goals – such as driving in-store sales, new product promotions and seasonal campaigns – you can develop activities that drive success. What unique content would your customers truly value … a “secret” recipe that you rarely give out … or a special package price that isn’t offered to everyone? Whenever possible, personalize your offers and give your VIPs the opportunity to look ahead to the next special promotion.

#4: Measure Response
Growing social engagement and followings are important, but every business owner knows success is defined by growing customer retention and sales. When possible, capture social IDs and email addresses in your sales strategies. As you grow, this can prove invaluable when tied directly to your e-commerce, sales systems and loyalty programs.