Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

1. I Asked For Suggestions

When I decided to start an online column (well before anyone knew the term “blog”), I asked the people on my email list to suggest questions I could answer about public relations, publicity and promotion. I received enough questions for almost three years’ worth of columns!

Thanks to Jane Blume of Desert Sky Communications

2. Just Give It Away

What is more fun than receiving something for nothing? Give it away, and reap the rewards.

My daughter and I are always looking for fun ways to promote our invention, called The FAB Light(TM) – a light that sticks to the inside lid of your cooler – Find A Beer!

Can’t wait for the nice weather, as we are planning to go camping in our new (old) RV this summer, giving away our FAB Lights. The thing is…. everyone has more than one cooler, tool box, tackle box, outdoor toilet… you can’t just have one. So we are adding QR codes to the free FAB Lights, so you can take a picture with your phone and immediately order more! In fact, if we are still at our camp site, we will come over with the rest of your order.

Happy camping!!

Thanks to Linda Pond of Linda Lee Pond

3. Ask, Ask, Ask Questions

I must say that I love the ask question tab on Facebook fan pages. Any time I want to get my audience, fans, or customers engaged, I start off by asking questions. This has made a tremendous difference in my business. I also use surveys to get a feel for what they are looking for. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions. No question is a dumb one, so stop being shy!

Thanks to LaTersa Blakely of Moms Wearing Multiple Hats

4. Capture Your Customer’s ♥

When your customer clearly sees how you create value in their life, you will establish an unbreakable connection.

Maintain a database with important information, dates, events…etc of your prime customers, vendors, suppliers, etc. When something significant occurs ~ be sure to recognize it.

Customers are people first. Show them value, appreciation and yes, love and they will respond in-kind.

As a relationship management expert, in every training seminar, I give participants something they can continually use to better facilitate the relationships they want to build and strengthen in their business or life. Giving them something they can use, keeps my brand and services in their consciousness and continually adds value.

And I end every communique with: ♥ i val u ♥

Thanks to Val McLeod of Conversations With V!

5. Spot The Difference

As a small business owner, I constantly want customers, whether new or repeat, to contact us regarding our services and hire us. But getting them at the right time is somewhat of a challenge. I do remember taking out a Google ad years ago that promoted my special offer page, which was time limited. The ad drove targeted traffic to the page with the offer. It was a simple “Can you spot the difference between two cartoon pictures?” Once you spotted all ten and entered your answers you were taken to a form page to register your details. That little web page brought me over 4000 potential customers!

Thanks to Scott Andrew of SA Refurbishment Limited

6. Join The Crowd And Celebrate Your Brand!

I launched my newest blog, Keep the Tail Wagging, January 1, 2012. And in less than two months I had over 1000 likes on Facebook, a growing mailing list, and I’m building an active community of dog lovers. The best way to get interaction is to join the crowd and share your passion. I share videos and pictures of our dogs. I do videos for product reviews. I ask questions that spark conversation. I love our dogs, I love dog rescue, and I believe in every product I promote through my blog. It’s fun trading stories about the cute things our dogs do, the cool products we find, and sharing funny dog pictures that go viral.

Joining the crowd, sharing your passion, and celebrating your brand will make your followers WANT to check in on your site or Facebook page every day.

Thanks to Kimberly Gauthier of Keep the Tail Wagging

7. Keep it Casual and Conversational

To keep our customer engagements fun we try to have casual conversations with our customers and prospects on our social media outlets. We are constantly posting questions and comments that allow us to directly converse with our followers. For example, we might ask what our followers are doing during the weekend or what team they want to win in the big game. This helps create an online community with our potential customers — especially when they start speaking and interacting with each other.

Thanks to Elik Aaron of SaleRacks

8. Shout Outs!

A highly effective way to keep your interactions with customers fun is to mention them in social media posts. We try to mention a number of specific customers in our Tweets and Facebook posts as much as possible, and have seen some great results. “Shouting out” a particular customer can really personalize the experience for the individual. Just mentioning a customer by name can make a world of difference to them, and to many others.

Thanks to Hans Eberstar of Auto Auctions