Your brand goes beyond just selling a product or service -people want a complete experience where they feel part of a bigger cause

You have to make genuine connections with your customers who want to be part of who and what they are. But businesses often forget the importance of building specific bonds with customers.

When customers feel good about your business, they will feel more inclined to do business with you more often. However, it is not always just about increasing sales; it is also about being loyal to the customers that appreciate your business.

Connecting With Customers on a Different Level

Having conversations with customers post sale is one powerful way to connect. It is much easier to connect with customers in this day and age because of social media and the large number of consumer who use social media websites on a regular basis. By creating a page for the brand on these different social media websites, you can learn more about your customers and help them to learn more about you and your business as well.

This extends to asking for feedback from customers. Show the customers that you care about them and that every voice is, in fact, going to be heard. Ask questions and wait for answers because when customers see that you want their opinions, they will gladly give them to you.

This is especially true if they feel as though their feedback will help you to make adjustments and improvements that will benefit themselves and others in the future. Do not just ask the customers for feedback. Actually read, listen, and respond to the feedback and take it into consideration. Make adjustments when necessary and show the customers you are listening.

Getting Personal and Building Connections

Never be afraid to share some private information with the customers. It is perfectly acceptable to share more information about yourself with the customers so that they can learn more about who you are as a person, aside from being a business owner. There are obvious limits to this, but the point is to go beyond being the nameless, faceless business owner and be a person just like them. When you are willing to share stories or information about you and your life, customers can begin to connect with you and will also learn to trust you.

Engage Directly via Socia Media

Using Twitter as an example, you should have a handle set up for your brand. Watch to see if you are mentioned and respond accordingly. If there are problems, address them cordially and reach out for a more private connection like an email or phone number where you can connect with the customer to resolve the issues.

If it's a success story, be sure to engage in the conversation. This shows you are in touch with the community and care to get involved.

Sometimes customers share their experiences with others about you without directly referencing your brand. This takes a little more ingenuity, but there are ways to find out who is talking about you on various social media sites. The point is to keep your finger on the pulse and inject yourself into the conversation when it involves your brand.

Feel good connections always require going beyond delivering a product or service. You have to engage the customer on a deeper level and open communication through social media and other tools is a powerful way to take your involvement with customers after the sale to a whole new, feel-good level.

About the Author:

Tara Hornor has a degree in English and has found her niche writing about marketing, advertising, branding, web and graphic design, and desktop publishing. She writes for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers business cards, catalog services, posters, brochures, postcards, and more printed marketing media. In addition to her writing career, Tara also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Connect with @TaraHornor on Twitter.