The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to shift their strategy to maintain and build relationships with consumers and employees online. As many business relationships have extended beyond the real world into virtual space, they must be treated differently than in-person interactions. Plus, fostering these relationships can help grow your business immensely in a short amount of time. In this article, Jason Kulpa shares his knowledge on creating and reinforcing business relationships online.
Here are Jason Kulpa’s five pieces of advice regarding improving online business relationships.
- Social Media
As Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other number of platforms become more popular with each passing day, a business’s target audience becomes more reachable via social media.
Not only can you promote and explain your business on social media platforms, but they also act as a two-way street that allows customers to make comments, ask questions, or provide feedback, which helps to humanize your business. Responding to potential customers is a great way to build their trust and convince them your business is worth their time and money. It also shows your commitment to your customers and keeping them in the loop on new developments or information.
Like social media, email communication allows you to interact with customers and keep your business in their thoughts. However, it’s important not to bombard people’s inboxes with too many emails or make the content sound too pushy or “salesy.” Instead, only send out information worth your customer’s time and that they will want to read.
Email is also a great way to request customer feedback via surveys and comments. Once someone has connected with your company, sending them an email asking about their experience will allow you to find ways to improve future interactions.
- Customer Support
Virtual spaces never sleep, and neither should your business’s customer support. Online support can come in many forms, from knowledge bases and FAQ pages to live chat and phone calls. Ideally, your company’s customer support offers each customer the most comfortable method, encouraging them to use it more.
“Allowing clients to be heard and gain some personal attention is a great way to win over their loyalty and have them raving to their family and friends about the quality of service,” stated Jason Kulpa. However you provide customer support, ensure it works efficiently and is reliable. If it’s not, it may be the reason you lose an already vulnerable customer.
- Rewards and Incentives
Even with many businesses shifting to online relationships, these promotional tools haven’t lost their effectiveness. Online giveaways and contests are incredibly popular, and they act as a great way to get your target audience involved with your business and learning more about it.
Concerning social media platforms, it can be as easy as asking viewers to tag, follow, or like something from your business to enter them into a raffle or free giveaway. You can also offer deals or discounts on products for a limited time or for the first set number of people to participate. Best of all, these promos give your business valuable insight into what people want or need that allows you to make adjustments for more growth.
- Personalization
Speaking of learning more about your target audience一your business’s online presence opens up a world of data to your company that you can capitalize on easily. Going through information like purchase history, popular search items, and other forms of web analytics gives you a chance to understand customers’ specific desires and needs.
With these details in hand, you can increase your cross-selling and upselling in a way that works and feels natural to the user. You can also use the information from web analytics to adjust advertising campaigns, revise specific pages on your website, and provide customers with a more user-friendly experience.
By utilizing these tips, your business’s online relationships can develop and expand smoothly and naturally. Always stay true to who you are as an entrepreneur and find ways to show others your passion and drive.
About Jason:
Jason Kulpa is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of UE.co, San Diego’s Fastest Growing Business multi-year award winner, and a Certified Great Place to Work multi-year winner. In addition, Kulpa is a two-time winner of San Diego’s Most Admired CEO Award of the San Diego Business Journal and a semi-finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur award. Jason’s mission is to bring awareness, support, and inclusion for special needs causes.
