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Digital Marketing for Small Business

community management

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3 Ways to start building your community

Ways to start building your community

  1. Know your people
  2. Focus on your audience
  3. Be a good source of info
  4. Respond to their inquiries online
  5. Participate in your local community

Building a community around your small business will not only attract new customers but also encourage long-time followers to your brand. There is something to be said about wanting a community, especially when the biggest of brands are doing it too.

The hard part, however, is starting. Here are three ways to help you start building your community today.

Know your people

No one else knows your business and what you can provide more than you. Have a think about what you stand for, what your business stands for and what kind of people you want to attract. Having a specific focus of audience will help you reach them more, instead of trying to reach too wide and ending up with the wrong type of followers. It is worth having a sit down with someone you can bounce ideas with to narrow down that target audience.

building your communityMake it worth their while

You are an expert in your small business, and because of this you are a great source of information for your area of expertise. Share this knowledge with your community via your blog and social media sites. Engage with your customers online or offline and make sure you respond to their queries in a reasonable timeframe. Reward your followers by giving them up-to-date information on your latest events, giveaways and promos. This will encourage them to share with their friends and invite more people into your brand.

Participate in your local community

Your small business belongs in a community so it’s good to be visible when it matters. Sponsor a sports team in your area, or maybe your local school fete. Have a booth when there’s an event, or reach out to your local council to see if you can be a resource speaker about a topic that would help other people. Investing in some community goodwill is always good. Your brand will be associated with the spirit of community, which will encourage long-term supporters of your business.

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How to deal with bad reviews online

Do you want to know how to deal with bad reviews online? We all do because, well, we all get bad reviews. Small business owners, however, take it more seriously than the big dogs. And it’s totally understandable too because your small business is your baby. You want people to like your baby, right? But the reality is that small businesses will eventually get a bad review. Nowadays, however, reviews are quick and easy to make — and has several avenues, too. Bad reviews are also harsher as people tend to feel braver behind the keyword. So how do you deal with it? In this post, we tell you the top three ways to deal with bad reviews.

Accept and learn

Don’t take it personally. There are varying reasons why you were given a bad review. The reality is that you can’t please everyone. Look at the bad review that was given and think of the different ways you could have ensured it didn’t happen. Was it a late shipping? Damaged product? Services that weren’t delivered up to scratch? Should you have given a refund? Turn the bad review into a teachable moment for yourself and your staff. Find ways to improve your small business instead of sulking and dwelling on the bad review.

Engage the right way

You might be tempted to rant and rave — or swear, even. But it’ll only make things worse. If your first reaction is anger, walk away from the computer and cool off. Gather your thoughts before replying to the bad review. Should you do it publicly or privately? It depends. If it’s a thread on Facebook, then answer through the thread. If it’s something more pressing or complicated, maybe it’s best to take it on private mode. Send them a message or an email to discuss how you can help them. Don’t start a fight online. That’s never a good look.

Bury it with good reviews

For every bad review you get, you also get heaps of good reviews. Encourage your customers to leave you a good review online, either on Facebook or Google. Send them a courtesy email/SMS after they buy your products/services and don’t be afraid to ask. If you don’t ask, you won’t get the review. Sometimes people are just busy and they forget. It’s worth doing a follow up a couple of days later. If you want a longer form of review, it’s worth writing the review yourself and asking your client to approve it. That way it saves them having to sit down and write it themselves.

Wanna learn more about how to deal with small business digital marketing? Join our Small Business Digital Marketing Portal now! It’s cheaper than your daily coffee and you get lots of free stuff!