The question of whether or not to follow your customers back on social media keeps popping up. Are you one of those confused about what to do?
Must be potent to only follow back the people who are in the same business as them. This is because it helps them stay on top with the latest trends and also for inspiration mainly. Of course, all these are good reasons to follow back. However when it comes to following your customers back, well Yes of course! There are a million advantages that come with doing so. But even still there are just a few disadvantages and they’re not that harmful really.
A quick one.
You’re missing the point of social media if you don’t follow current and future clients. This is related to the reason you’re on social media in the first place. You must have a two-way relationship with your followers if you are using social media to strengthen a relationship with current clients and extend your client base.
- The entire point of social media is to tear down the fourth wall and open up previously closed lines of communication between businesses and their customers. How will you communicate with your customers if they can only visit you on your terms, i.e. on your page?
The pros of following your customers back outweigh the cons and we’re starting with those.
Pros of following customers back
Establishing a relationship.
You get to know your customers on their pages as well as yours, and you learn about their lives what they love and hate. You also have more opportunities to listen and speak now. If a client posts a picture of a dress they bought from you, for example, you can ask for permission to repost the image. You don’t have to develop any more stuff. Clients who view this may also be interested in working with you.
Proves to them you’re human.
You give your brand a human face by communicating with your customers and demonstrating that you are not a robot who is concerned about their well-being. This implies that instead of merely following and lurking, get involved! Like a photo, remark on something useful, and respond to other people’s comments.
Don’t be one of those businesses that ignore customers’ comments. If your page becomes overburdened with comments, you won’t have time to respond to each one individually, but keep an eye out for inquiries and potential clients looking for information. This could mean the difference between gaining a new client and losing a potential client.
Make it a point to at least reply to every client. Show them that you care by replying to their comments where they have a question or not.
Builds trust
This takes us back to businesses that post clients’ images to show the results of their work. For example, have you ever gone to a store and came out dissatisfied, that you never come back? What do you do? It prompts you to conduct extensive research before visiting a new location?
You’re forming a rapport and showing verifiable testimonials from happy clients by posting your handy work from a customer perspective. This is called building trust.
Opportunity for more clients
New clients are necessary for expansion; a company cannot thrive only on returning consumers. You must acquire new consumers to dramatically grow revenue. To dramatically enhance growth and, as a result, revenue, you need more consumers to buy your products and services.
You can reach clients using social media in a manner that no other marketing channel can. It essentially brings clients to your door and allows you access to their lives. And how can this be achieved? By following your customers back and following their friends and whoever because anyone is a potential client.
Cons of following customers back
Your news stream will be clogged with a variety of information.
It will become progressively tough to manage your Instagram page if you follow most of your customers back because of the number of people you follow especially if it’s Instagram. Your news stream will be clogged with material that you may or may not care about. This will make it more difficult to find relevant information that can help you establish your brand and keep up with industry trends.
Puts your account at risk
You can’t tell who you’re truly following as you keep the following subscriber after subscriber. A large number of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts are either bogus or inactive. Some people utilize this site to break into subscribers’ accounts, take important information, and use it for personal advantage.
Those who still intend to use follow their customers back or even the online purchase of Instagram followers through vendors should conduct an extra study to see if this is the right thing to do. While you may be able to obtain more followers and keep in touch with customers, some drawbacks may or may not be good for your brand.
You’re being watched
For those using the follow-for-follow strategy on Instagram, be sure you’re being watched. This year, Instagram’s algorithm has seen some adjustments. The new improvements are designed to give subscribers additional protection. The application will keep a careful eye on those who use the Follow for Follow approach. Those that abuse the approach may have their accounts “Shadowbanned” by the app.
Shadowbanning is a punishment that prevents your posts from being recommended to other subscribers. If you go on following most of your clients back you risk facing this punishment, especially for Instagram account holders.
Bottom Line
It’s okay to follow back your customers on social media for the various benefits we’ve given such as building trust, proving you’re human, and establishing a relationship. All these are essential for the growth of your online business. However, as you follow back be aware of the pros such as being watched and the fact that you risk interacting with hackers who wish to steal your information among other things.