The answer to that question is pretty simple. Without the customer there is no money, right. When the economy is tough and money is tight though, it can be easy to forget that. We tend to let ourselves get stressed about the money and forget that it is our customers that keep us in business. It’s important we remind ourselves from time to time that if we take care of our customers, the money will come. Our customers always need to come first.

Let me give you an example of this working extremely well. In the small town I live in, there is a small hardware store. Other than carrying a few unusual, hard to find products, there is really nothing special about the store itself. It’s a hardware store. There are other stores in town where most of these products could be purchased and major chain stores within 20 miles where everything could be purchased much cheaper. Truthfully, most of the products could probably be purchased at other stores in town cheaper. Despite all of this, their customers continue to shop with them. Why? What incentive do they have to spend more money for the same products, especially in this economy?

Well, it’s because they make it very clear that they are there to help their customers in any way they can. From greeting them as they come in the door (when possible) and offering help, to ordering items that they do not have in stock or do not normally carry. They demonstrate to their customers every day that they are important to them and that they appreciate them. It doesn’t matter if the customer is spending $1 or $100, they are all treated the same. Their customers come first.

Do your customers come first? Do your customers know that they are important to you and that you appreciate them?

Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below. We appreciate you stopping by to spend a little time with us.

Photo credit: rabbits on chairs

Do you spend much time on Twitter observing how others communicate? I do and I must say I love it. It is so fascinating to see how different people use it and more importantly, how different businesses use it. You really can learn a lot by watching.

Ok, I realize that to some this may sound a little weird and maybe I am a little weird but I really do learn many different things while observing how businesses use Twitter. Sure, there are many books that teach the basics of social media but to really stay current and understand what’s happening, I find that by doing my own research I learn much more. Hopefully I am able to pass along some of this information to you so you don’t have to do the research.

Many businesses just tweet about business, some to the point of only tweeting advertisements. Tweeting about advertisements may work for some but it certainly doesn’t develop any relationships. On the other end of the scale are those that tweet about only personal things and seem to forget that their purpose was to develop a community around their business. I’ve seen some that seem to say only negative things which certainly isn’t going to develop relationships unless, I suppose, others that feel the same way find them. I’m not sure that will benefit your business though. Anyway, neither of these examples are really the best use of Twitter.

Yes, it’s important to get your advertisements out there and yes, it’s important to get yourself out there. A blend of both is really a better way to approach your social media campaign though. The beauty of social media is the ability to develop relationships; relationships with customers and prospective customers, as well as with other businesses.

First, it’s OK to be yourself. In fact it’s more than OK to be yourself. What you are trying to accomplish is to let people know who YOU are. Knowing you will clue people in to what the values of your business are. If your husband, wife or the kids tweet to you during the day, as long as it’s not too personal, that’s great. It lets your followers know that you really are a real person, not just a business. If you tweet to, or retweet something of a neighboring business, that’s great too. It demonstrates to your followers that you care about your community.

And then, of course, you should be tweeting about your business. Tweet your special offers along with other information you think your followers would be interested in. If something is happening at your business that you are excited about or find interesting, then your followers probably will too.

Last, but not least, be sure to respond to people that mention you. Check your @YOU page to see what people are saying about you and respond. This is a great way to get conversations started and to let people know you appreciate them and what they are saying about you.

Oh, and one more thing – Have fun with it!

Photo credit: Rosaura Ochoa