One of the most important ways to keep your wine business growing is to improve upon customer engagement and retention. After all, it is easier to keep a current customer who makes repeat purchases, than it is to find an entirely new customer.

To do this, you need to create a positive, online community around what you are offering online. By engaging with your customers often on your site, you will be more likely to retain their business.

So how do you do this? Just follow these tips to engaging and retaining customers:

#1 Respond quickly to comments and leads

With the state of the Internet and social media, you should not be taking a few hours, or heaven forbid, 24 hours to respond to a comment or lead about your wine business.. Engage in a conversation online with your customer as soon as he or she submits comments or feedback. By getting back to them right away, this will help to keep their brand at the top of their mind. When that customer reaches out in social media, you should respond just as if you were having a regular conversation in real life.

#2 Add more value to conversations by bringing in outside content

Do not just talk about your own products and content. People always want to get free information and coupons, so offer a nice selection of discounts and specials that showcase other drink-related companies as well.

#3 Post blog articles on all social media

Blogs are a wonderful way to get more discussion going about your wines or wine-related products. Prospective buyers want to learn more about your company, and your blog will help to keep them fully engaged.

#4 Post plenty of photos and videos

We find that customer video testimonials are of great value. The great thing about them is that they are easy to share. The content that is in these types of video testimonials is more personal and that has an impact on customers. Have one of your current wine customers talk about on video how good that cabernet was with their meal, and you will really connect with plenty of current and new customers.

#5 Train your employees about the content you want

Always remember that your employees are the direct conduit to current and future customers. You should let them know of the type of content that you want to have on your site and social media. That way, your entire team is supporting your branding campaign efforts.

#6 Deal with any negative information quickly and clearly

You should always respond to any negative feedback quickly, but do not overreact. Resolve the conflict offline if it is necessary, but resolve the conflict as soon as you can to keep the customer from giving negative feedback to others.

#7 Promote active members of your social community

You should reward your customers who purchase a lot of product. It is especially a good idea to spotlight a customer that is really happy with your wine products. Their enthusiasm about your company will come through in print and in video, and that enthusiasm will spread to others.

#8 Make connecting easier by posting links to your other social media

Everyone uses Facebook, but other customers may want to connect via Twitter, Linkedin, your blog and YouTube.

#9 Engage with customers differently on Twitter and Facebook

You should approach these platforms differently. Remember that Twitter is a one on one communication channel, and Facebook is where you are connecting with the whole community. Share related content on both but the writing on each platform should be done differently.

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The rise of the Internet and social media has transformed how we engage with our customers. These new technologies also are influencing how many purchasing decisions are being made by other types of customers.

For example, the image below shows up to 25% of pharmaceutical sales professionals have been supplanted in recent years by digital interactions with physicians, payers and networks. It seems that it is more effective and cost efficient to use social media to market pharmaceutical products to doctors. Some pharmaceutical companies have been slow to adopt to this trend, and it has cost them in annual sales.

This shows how engaging in social media effectively is really transforming all sorts of B-to-C and B-to-B relationships.

You would be wise to keep up with the trend to keep earning your customers’ business!

Sources:

• http://www.krusecontrolinc.com/customer-retention-10-tips-to-keep-your-community-engaged/
• http://alliancemobileapps.com/blog/5-tips-to-keep-your-customers-engaged-with-your-app/
• http://www.evergage.com/blog/6-social-media-customer-engagement-tips