While life continues under government ‘restrictions’ for the foreseeable future, businesses need to continue working hard to stay in touch with their customers in a relatable and relevant way.

With the current pandemic still bringing countless challenges to businesses, the good news is there are ways to keep serving customers during these challenging times. More aspects of our daily lives have moved online, and people continue to check social media more often than before.

Here are some of our top tips for keeping your customers engaged which will help you instil reassurance and confidence that you are still there for them.

1. Keep communicating

It might sound obvious, but effective communication is key to a great customer experience. So, don’t go quiet on them.

Whether it’s business as (a new) normal for you or if you’ve had to face a temporary closure, customers will empathise with you as long as you communicate with them effectively and honestly.

Try sending personalised emails to see how your customers are doing and if there is anything you can do to assist them. This personal touch will go a long way to making your customers know that you haven’t forgotten about them.

Alternatively, with people missing face-to-face interactions, video calls are always an ideal solution in the current climate.

2. Make yourself as available as possible

In today’s connected world, customers expect to be able to interact with you through various channels, including self-service, web chat, video and social media messaging.

Consider what you already have in place and how this offering can be improved. For example, how about introducing a web chat function to your website? This provides a more convenient way for your customers to get in touch and you will be able to communicate directly with them with ease.

Also, make it easy for your customers to contact you by:

• Ensuring your contact details are displayed prominently on your website.
• Keeping your details up to date on Google My Business.
• Using social media to let people know you’re available to talk. Are your Facebook Messenger settings up to date?

These little touches show your customers that you welcome their contact and are still available to help and support them.

3. Stay connected internally

As a lot of staff are encouraged to return to working from home, it’s important they can still effectively communicate with other team members.

With businesses having to adapt to the new normal for some time now, most have already ensured their staff are equipped with the right collaboration tools, but this remains important. This allows them to stay in touch and keep each other up to date on their workloads.

4. Post blogs

Do you post regular blogs on your website? Consistently posting valuable content has a host of business benefits. Not only does it keep your customers engaged and informed, but it also increases traffic to your website which helps to improve your Google rankings.

Each time you post a new blog on your website, create a social post encouraging your audience to read it, comment on it and share it to boost engagement.

If you’re reading this, then it’s already proved to work right? We love a blog here at SCS!

5. Use social media

Last but not least, use social media more! With more people online than ever before, social media presents the perfect opportunity for businesses.

Create a list of content ideas, such as:

• Articles and blogs
• Company updates
• Industry news
• Tips and tricks
• Questions and polls
• Live-streamed updates

Make sure you have a plan in place to keep post scheduling simple and consistent, or even better, hire a Social Media Agency to run your accounts for you. ?‍♂️

We’re a team of experienced social media managers here at South Coast Social, and we’re hard at work creating great content for our clients every day.

To find out more about what we do, contact us today via our online form or give us a call on 01202 985022.