Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU Business.<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cCustomers are the lifeline of your business,\u201d said Orlando Espinosa, co-founder of Emineo Media and moderator of the panel, which took place May 11, 2021. Citing statistics that an existing client spends 67% more than a new one, he said, \u201cOnce you convert someone to believe in what you\u2019re selling, you often have them for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the recommended strategies for engagement:<\/p>\n
Leverage technology and social media.<\/strong><\/p>\nYou don\u2019t have to engage in all social media platforms, said Karen Vieira, CEO of The Med Writers. She encouraged business owners to learn which channels their customers use, \u201cpick one you know you could do, and stick to it,\u201d she said. \u201cIf writing is your thing, do blog posts \u2013 write once and put it everywhere.\u201d On the other hand, if you like talking to people, record a video. The key to success, she said: \u201cDo what you are capable of doing consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n
And keep it real, said Scott Tubbs, CEO of Emineo Media.\u00a0 \u201cStay away from the sales pitch. Give them access to who you are as an individual. Don\u2019t worry about being a professional. Let them see who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Use CRM to develop targeted customers.<\/strong><\/p>\nIf used correctly, your customer relationship management (CRM) software can speak volumes about your clients, Espinosa said. Use it to remember birthdays, or to send reminders when a previously-purchased product goes on sale.<\/p>\n
Above all, don\u2019t let the information get stale. Update it regularly, and use it to reach out with the next product or the next potential engagement for the customer, said Samantha Jade, owner of That\u2019s SMART Business: \u201cIt\u2019s the low hanging fruit \u2013 that\u2019s the easiest way to explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Build your online following.<\/strong><\/p>\nStaying engaged could be sharing small tips or a short video with relevant information on a weekly basis. Jade\u2019s suggestion: write down the questions your clients ask you and address that in your educational content. \u201cIt serves a purpose of answering questions on a bigger scale,\u201d and having updated, relevant content will increase your chances of appearing in search engines, she said.<\/p>\n
Strategize to build emotional connections.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cOnce you get started, your customers and clients will show you what content you need,\u201d Espinosa said. When clients post, \u201ccontinue the conversation.\u201d Tactics for building connection could include a contest, a loyalty reward or other motivation to spur engagement. Sending thank-you notes, birthday cards \u2013 all serve to keep your business top-of-mind for your most valued customers.<\/p>\n
The ultimate goal, Vieira noted, is to turn your customers and employees into brand ambassadors.<\/p>\n
\u201cA brand ambassador is a raving fan, whether they\u2019re internal or external,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about developing those connections with your current customers and team, so they\u2019re developing those connections for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
View the full panel discussion on the FSBDC @ FIU YouTube Channel.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To find a new customer, it takes time, effort and money – all in short supply for most small businesses. Yet in the hunt for new leads, many businesses miss a sounder strategy: growing engagement, and business volume, with the customers they already have. From social media strategies and maximizing CRM to thank-you notes and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":35631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3121],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35627"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35633,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35627\/revisions\/35633"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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