Using social media is a fun way to stay in touch with the customers who love your company and the products you offer. Many people are very willing to “like” or “follow” businesses they’ve had good experiences with. It’s also a great way to advertise big sales or specials to your devoted fans. Millions of people log into their social media accounts every day, sometimes even multiple times a day, and the more you are able to put your company out there, the better chance you’ll have of people remembering you when they need a product you have.

Social media is also a great way to improve customer service. If someone is offended by your company, they’ll most likely want to tell all their friends about it so their friends don’t have the same experience. Therefore, many people complain about companies on social media where they’ll be heard loud and clear. This can really hurt a company if they don’t have a good social media presence and can catch these comments early on. If you apologize to your customer and try to make amends on social media as well, the people you may have offended will realize that you are listening to them and really do appreciate their business.

These are just a few reasons why having a strong social media presence can improve your business. There are many options you could use to improve your social media, including: offering contests online, updating your social media pages at least once a day, and answering any questions or concerns people may write on your social media accounts.

This is final portion of a two part series on follow-up tips for the new year.

3. Follow Up with Current Customers

Remember that you want to encourage additional business from existing clients. Take time to research clients and find out what additional services you can provide. Find ones that haven’t been visited with you on a personal basis. Then contact them directly whether that be by phone or if possible in person. Create a script that will allow you to approach the prospect of additional business.  Remind them of the work you’ve done together in the past and ask how you can continue to earn their business.

4. Ongoing Follow-up

Always take the time to thank a customer for their business. You should always great your clients by thanking them for their business and don’t forget to smile. With your additional follow-up you should include a letter, preferably with a handwritten note. The letter should convey your gratitude and appreciation of their business. If your follow-up is an ongoing process your clients will be very comfortable with your business and much more likely to help your business grow by referral.

5. Referral Follow-up

One way to help increase your client base and improve your follow up is to encourage referrals. When a satisfied customer tells 3 or 4 of her friends or contacts, you have a great lead generator. Reward customers in some form for every referral they send your way. You could go as far as to ask specifically for names and contacts of 2 to 4 others who might be interested.

These are a few ways you can improve. Take action starting today to improve your follow-up strategy.

There are many reasons for writing a business letter to your customers. You may be writing to tell them of new events, specials or you may also want to reach out just telling them how much you appreciate their business. One important thing to remember when writing customer letters is to maintain a professional format and dealing with each client on an individual basis.

When you write your customer letters a good way to make sure your clients feel appreciated is to include a handwritten note that accompanies the professional letter like we’ve discussed in previous posts or  any number of things like a photo or invitation to give it a very personal touch. If you start now on your letters for this month you’ll be able to put time and thought into them and really make a difference with your clients and customers.