Customer service goes beyond what happens in the store
Your community will be a customer community for your business. Think of acommunity a
s a union between you and our customers: you become a member of thegroup of customers who are interested in specific topics. You provide the space andopportunity for members of the community to meet and talk.The simple fact is that communities allow people to talk with each other. Today,Americans have fewer close confidents than in the past due to the facts that they areworking longer and commuting for longer times to get to the workplace [1]). That is whycertain types of communities, specifically online communities, are becoming morepopular: they allow for a very real need for humans to connect.While you can establish a community fairly quickly, you must commit to nurturing andsupporting the community during its lifetime. The good news is that you can use a lot ofthe things you have been doing for your word of mouth marketing to build and nurture your community.
Bloglites
Retailer Stories
Replacing Traditional Advertising with Social Media: One Realtor's Story
how social media can replace traditional media
How often and what to blog: One retailer's advice
tips on blogging
Growing your FB Fans and Twitter Followers: Hartwick's Innovative Approach
making it easy for customers to join your network
Craigslist as an Underutilized Opportunity: Lisa Hartwick explains
really really big deals
Social Media: How to Get Started? One Retailer Says: "Jump In"
getting started with social media
Action Guides
Free LinkedIn Action Guide
grabbinggreen.com's free linkedin action guide will show any small businessperson how to create a profile on the popular professional networking site, find trusted service-providers, search for top talent, and promote their company, all using linkedin's easy-to-use interface.
How To Deal With A New Competitor In Your Area
6 page action guide with step-by-step step suggestions to beat your newest competitor
Building a Bank of Good Will
this 5 page action guide provides proven techniques to successfully increase customer loyalty
How To Stop Losing Your Customers!
it is easier to keep your customers than trying to get new ones. so, stop losing customers! this 7-page guide will help you learn ...and most importantly how to win them back.
How to get customers to visit your store when your business is slow!
mired in a slowdown and wondering how to get more customers back in your store?
Related Articles
Should I have a MySpace page for my small business?
things to consider before creating a myspace page for your business
Twitter, Dodgeball and Plurk: Are You Ready to Microblog?
microblogging is a way to keep in touch in real time with customers who want to keep in touch with you. more than that, though, microblogging provides a unique way to learnmore about what your customers are doing. is microblogging for your store?
Should I Advertise on Craigâs List?
for small business, craigâs list provides a quick, free way to reach members of your local community with informationabout specifi c products and services at your store.
Can you Make Money on Facebook?
ways to use facebook to be successful
Moms Use Social Media
retailers encouraged to reach out to moms via social media.
Book Excerpts
Member Comments
iâm really focusing on referralsâŚi make a point to mail a postcard to former clients and ask for referrals, and send a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to every client who gives me a referral.patrick o. rapid city, sd- real estate
two food giants...general mills and kraft...have just started wom communities. gm is called psst...and kraft's is called first tasteandrea k, virginia beach, va, shoe store
ânewsletters can provide good information about the store: for example, give subscribers first notice of any in-store events, and they will have âfirst dibsâ on signing up to attend events. also you communicate changes to your store hours or policies, to make their shopping easier and more convenient.âlarry n, dearborn, mi ice rink owner
âi get a lot of newsletters from craft shops with information about new products and services. the newsletter provides an opportunity to give the dates the products will arrive and some information about price, color, etc that will be of interest to consumers. the manufacturers often will provide you this information to put into your newsletter.also, i like it when email newsletters have special offers and discounts that are available for a limited time only, and only for customers who receive email. you donât need to have an offer in every email, once every two months could work to keep people interested.mary jane, salt lake city, ut homemaker
âwe use newsletters to get information from our customers. have a poll or a survey. it can be short, and even fun: where are you going on vacation? what tv show are you enjoying this summer? then post results in a future newsletter. people love taking polls.of course, always best to use a poll topic that is of interest to your audience.our customers are into new bands, especially hip-hop. we like to poll about "who's hot" in order to let them chime in about their favorites, and it also let's us get a sense of trends.âanson l , natchez, miss clothing store
