You should know that your audience are partly responsible for your success, and you should acknowledge it. They expand your scope, making you reach new places -and people. They are your business opportunities: they increase your business through recommendations, they market your brand, support it and make it better, being critical when you're not doing something right or when you let things slide, becoming your fans and sometimes loyal customers. That is why rewarding your audience is an excellent way of demonstrating you care for them and you appreciate the vital role they play in your success.
Though it may seem obvious, acknowledge them! Here are some ideas that may help you reward your audience so they continue to feel appreciated and engaged.
Special Offers
Whenever you launch a new product or if you run out of stock, offer your social media audience the first items available. There are many special offers you can make that don't necessarily need a discount. For instance, you can offer your audience a discount so that when they purchase at your webstore a free sample or extra item is added to their shopping cart automatically. You could also let them access merchandising from the new season, or set up an outlet, or "last minute" campaigns for those interested.
Discount Codes
Discount coupons work really well and can be a trigger for people who're thinking about placing an order to finally take action and end up purchasing. Without them, they might not remember or maybe leave it till later and never go through with ordering. It doesn't need to be a great discount. 10% will do to help your audience get out there. You can limit it to one discount per person or have cumulative discounts if they're online customers.
Value-Added Content
Help your loyal customers to improve by learning something new that will be useful later. Equip them with knowledge and skills that help them get by at work or in their day to day. That's what content's for. Ask your fans what they need to know about the most; then go out there and find it for them. Share interesting articles and current information -hot off the press-, publish whenever there has been relevant news in your industry, the latest news or something special. One of the best ways to thank people is by helping out and doing something for them. Even if it doesn't bring in profits directly remember that what goes around comes around.
Thank You Messages
A simple Thank You email to a customer after purchasing could be a great way to really thank them. "Thank You" is a great opportunity. If they're not worried about confidentiality or privacy, you could thank them by publishing on their Facebook or Twitter accounts, publish a post on your blog or even write them a real letter (remember those?) Once in a while, on special occasions such as the brand's anniversary, a milestone in your fan pages or the launching of a new product, write an honest Thank You note to everyone who's always been by your side: your audience.
Many people out there are doing a good job of this. You could be one of them. The secret is there is no secret. Everything's much simpler than that: just stay human, truthful, humble and honest across the Internet.
No one likes to feel like just a number in CRM, nor just another fan from those "however-many-thousands". Show your appreciation for what your audience does for you every day. Do so by reaching out to them in any number of ways. The ones above are some but there are many others. It's your turn to discover them.
Photo credit: lunchbreath.