Logging Off: Engaging with Your Customers in the Real World

“How do I grow my social media following” is one of the most common questions I receive from clients — and for good reason. Our culture has been transformed by social media and each year new social media platforms, or updated features to existing ones, continue to change and evolve how we communicate with each other and with brands. Social media is a critical tool for public relations practitioners and should continue to be a core element of brand strategies.

However, too often, many brands and PR pros focus on social media at the exclusion of good old-fashioned human interaction.

Face-to-Face Interaction Still Matters

Humans crave real, authentic connection and lasting relationships. Sure, you can interact with your customers on social. Depending on your follower base and resources, you may even be able to personally communicate and respond to each Facebook or Instagram comment - and that’s great (keep it up!).

But, online interaction isn’t the same as face-to-face conversation. Consider your own personal experiences online where you may casually like or comment on the post of your college roommate’s younger brother. Yes, you are engaging and connecting, but is this truly a meaningful relationship? This is why, personally, I am not a fan of the ubiquitous Facebook birthday greeting. While I enjoy seeing dozens of friends posting a quick “happy birthday” on my feed each year, it feels so much more authentic when someone calls or makes plans to celebrate in person.

If you want to humanize your brand and develop real relationships with customers, you need to occasionally take your brand offline and get into the real world.

Five Ways to Connect with Customers Offline

1. Throw a Party: Create a reason to celebrate (for example: grand opening, product launch, anniversary, customer appreciation night) and bring your customers together for an event that will not only allow them to connect directly with your brand, but also create offline connections with other brand fans.

2. Meet Them Where They Are: Festivals, parades, fairs, concerts and, yes, even the dreaded trade show convention are all opportunities to engage directly with your customers where they live, work or gather. Being a visible presence in their offline world keeps you top-of-mind, relevant and tangible.

3. Participate in the Offline Moments that Matter: When Loyola University Chicago made its first Final Four appearance in more than 50 years, my team greeted students and alumni near campus for a surprise brand experience on behalf of McDonald's of Chicagoland. Recognizing and celebrating alongside Rambler fans, we organized a street team decked in school colors who surprised fans near campus with free packs of "Final Four Piece McNuggets". When you bring your brand into moments that are personal and important for your customers, you demonstrate shared passion and values -- too key elements to a strong relationship and memorable experience.

4. Surprise & Delight Them: We all like a happy surprise, so show your fans how important they are to you by surprising them with what they love most about your company. Surprise & Delight tactics don’t need to be elaborate and can be broad (like guerrilla-style street team give-away) or targeted (think customized gifts tailored for top fans). For example, my team created customized McNugget bouquets and hand-delivered them to key social media influencers for Valentine's Day. This personal connection with online personalities helped strengthen their relationship with the brand.

5. Give Them Something to Talk About: Even though you are creating offline moments we still need to recognize we live in a social media-centric world. Consumers are craving social media worthy experiences. Providing offline, personalized experiences give them something "share worthy" and help extend your reach beyond the event. For example, by creating an unusual Instagram-friendly pop-up experience provide significant social currency and naturally prompt fans to share their offline experience on social media, allowing for organic buzz and excitement offline and online for your brand.