February Challenge: Customer Spotlight

Feature Customers To Show Appreciation & Strengthen Connection

Do you have a client who comes into your business often? Or has purchased products/services online more than once? A regular you know you can count on? Think of that client/customer and how you can feature them in your blog and on social media. If you don't feel like you have a "regular" yet, then choose someone who's tagged you on social media or a customer who's in your shop and seems chatty/open to having a photo taken of them. I promise it'll be easy to find someone!

There are a couple of ways to feature customers, depending on your time and resources. 

1. Social Media Post: Posting a quick photo on social media is a great way to get started. It's quick and easy. Just snap a photo of someone in your office/store or share photos they've tagged you in. 
2. Blog Post: Write a featured blog post about your customer/client. Introduce them, ask them why they love your products/services, explain how you've helped them, and get a few quotes from them. This one takes longer, but is worth the work! It helps you promote your business in the words of another person (which people trust more!) and is like a testimonial. Plus, super bonus - it will help you add keywords and long tail keywords to your website. Which helps with search engine optimization. 

Let's look at examples so you can get started! ​

Customer Spotlight on Social Media

If you're not ready to write blog posts or feel that route isn't for you, then let's just focus on social media. Make sure to share on all of your platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and any others! There are a few ways to feature customers on social media. Let's look at those so you can decide which is best for you ... maybe they all are! (I use all of these options with my clients!)

Use Photos From Your Store Or From Customers

If you can grab a photo of your customer while they're in your store or office, that's great! Another good option is to share their photos. This is what social media is made for! Share their posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Here's a perfect example of an online store sharing a photo from their customer. 

Customer Spotlight! ? ? Another happy customer looking super cute in her blue and cream kimono cardigan from DT’s Closet!!! ? #onlinestore #onlineshopping #shoppingonline #shop #shopthelook #fashionstyle #curvygirls #shop #style #dressfashionably #photooftheday #girl #model #ootd #fashionblogger #cuteandcomfortable #instafashion #wintersale #fashionista #customerspotlight #dtscloset

A post shared by DT’s Closet (@closetdts) on Jan 3, 2018 at 6:09am PST

Design A Template For Customer Spotlights

This is a great example because the image says "Customer Spotlight" on it which will help grab your audience's attention on social media. Designing a template dedicated to Customer Spotlights is a smart move!

Customer Spotlight wearing the Embroidery Flower top. Looking cute #customerspotlight #soldout #onlinestore

A post shared by Shantale S. (@kamorakreations) on Dec 22, 2017 at 5:01pm PST

Grab a Photo Of You And Your Customer

I love this one. Not only is the owner in the picture with the customer, but he explains that this guy is his first repeat customer. How memorable! 

Shine Society: Meet Dave, affectionately know as "Q". He is the first customer to the distillery and our first repeat guest. We appreciate his regular promotion of Lang Beverage Company. Cheers Dave and thanks for being one of our biggest fans! #langbeverageco #lbcdistillery #220shine #shinesociety #customerspotlight #cheers #americansdrinkvodkatoo

A post shared by LBC Distillery (@lbcdistillery) on Dec 21, 2017 at 4:28pm PST

The most important thing isn't which option you use, it's that you get started right away. Make it a goal that you're going to take pictures with 2 customers a month, if you have foot traffic. If you don't have foot traffic, then your goal is to start asking every single customer to tag you in a photo on social media. This will help build your library of user-generated content. 

Customer Spotlight Blog Post

This is such a great idea for promoting customer satisfaction and providing social proof! Dedicate a blog post to featuring your customers. Some businesses use a Q&A outline where they ask their customers set questions and then they paste in the customer's answers. Others will use a more narrative approach, where they talk about the customer from their point of view, but then add in quotes from the customer about how they use the products/services or what they love about them. Here are a few examples to look over.

Short And To The Point

This example from Tea Spot shows you how quick and easy this can be. They ask their customer which tea is his favorite, where he's from, etc. That's it! Fast work to show your audience that you're interested and invested in your customer base! (Click on the image to see the full blog post.)

Narrate The Story

This example from Gym Source shows how you can control the story in the blog post by narrating it from your point of view. There are quotes from the customer, which is key. There are also links to other areas of site which is a great way to maximize your traffic! This keeps your audience on the site longer by giving them more content to read. (Click on the image to see the full blog post.)

If you already have a blog for your business then I think this is definitely something you should try! Put together a list of questions and start asking customers if you can feature them! Although you don't need a photo, I think it helps to have one! Especially when it's time to promote your blog post on social media!

Need Help?

If you're not sure where to start, then start with me! I will help you map out a plan ... and even better, I can just do it for you! Let's talk! Email me: ashley@akwerner.com.