With lockdowns, social distancing laws and masks, business sure has looked different this past year. But just because the pandemic has introduced new obstacles, doesn’t mean your customer service needs to suffer, it just has to adapt.

Social media is one of the best tools in your arsenal for engaging with your client base at a distance. It gives you an avenue to directly inform your customers of any changes at your business, notify them of any new services you’re offering, or just keep them thinking about your business during a lockdown, even if they’re not able to utilize your services just yet.

Here are some helpful ways to keep your clients interacting with your business while Covid-19 interference drags on:

Post Regularly

An inactive social media account can be a big deterrent to any would-be clients. It can be really confusing, especially to new clients, if they’re researching your business and they see you haven’t made a new post on your Instagram account in months. It leaves them in the lurch and they’re left thinking, “Is their business still running?” or “Are they reputable?”

You don’t have to post multiple times a day, or even once a day, but just make sure your Facebook or Instagram accounts are updated at least once or twice a week. When you’re out with the dogs, snap some photos on your phone that show you doing what you do best, running your business. It’s quick, authentic and people love seeing how small businesses operate.

It lets your customers know you’re still around and keeps them thinking about your business even when they’re not in direct contact with you. Remaining on your customers mind is the key to repeat business after all.

Host a Contest

An excellent way to expand your horizons is by hosting a social media contest. It sounds complicated, but it’s really easy. Basically all you need to do is write a post explaining the contest rules and what the prize is and your followers take care of the rest.

For example, say you’re having a contest where the prize is free puppy behavioural training. Just write an Instagram post informing your followers that they could win free puppy behavioural training and all they have to do is share your post in their stories or tag a friend with a dog in the comments before a certain date, to have their name entered into the draw. It’s that easy.

By tagging their friends or sharing your post in their story your followers are advocating for you in two ways.

1. They are vouching for your business and displaying social proof that you are in fact a reputable company.
2. Your clients are broadcasting your business to their followers. If your client has a pet and lives in the same city as your business, the chances are good that their friends and family will also live close by and have pets. You’re able to spread the word locally without needing a big expensive ad campaigns, just a simple contest you can manage from your couch in your spare time.

Then, once the deadline for new contest entries has passed, you simply pick a name at random from the comment section in your post and notify the winner.

Advertise Your Blog

Having a blog is critical for any small business. It gives you a platform to meaningfully communicate with your clients and keep them in the loop about business expansions, new services or policy changes. But it can also just be a fun place to post cute stories about the pets you care for.

Writing a blog is one thing, having your blog read is another. Sharing your blog posts on social media is an excellent way to get the word out about your blog and initiate those first critical engagements. By posting your blog on Instagram, for example, you make it accessible to your followers who have a high likelihood of sharing your content.

As you create more blog content and share it on your social media accounts regularly you’ll slowly build a dependable readership and boost your reputation as a local thought leader in your industry. Cultivating a sturdy reputation is an excellent way to gain client trust and increase sales conversions.