Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital Strategy

Every business needs to develop relationships with a target audience. Whether the goal is to develop advocates, sell services or encourage other specific action, social media is a great tool for relationship building.

Here are five ways to use social media to connect.

Listen and learn.

Social media lets you listen to the people in your target audience. Listen to get a clear picture of their needs. People share a lot if information on social media. You can understand them much more deeply than age and gender.

Build trust.

Social media is two-way. You get to do more than see what people post. They get to do more than read your content. You can engage. Comments, likes, shares, etc. create two-way exchanges. People tell you what they like and what they want. They gain a level of trust in your authenticity and that you care.

Target precisely.

Social media lets you target your audience and give them the right content directly. You know who they are and what they want. You can speak directly to them and their needs.

Drive website traffic.

Use social media to connect people to your online home base – your website. There you can really hone your messaging. You can present your brand exactly how you want. You can create a path for people to move from awareness to deeper connections with you.

Increase revenue.

Social media improves your bottom line. It enables you to connect with your target audience. It gives you a platform to convert those contacts to the actions you want. With relationships established, you can sell products and services, prompt action, and convert toward other goals.