Let's look at some ways to keep your social media groups happy.

Have a great product

Start off on the right foot and give your customers what they really want from you. It doesn't matter how many thousands of people are following you on the web, you need to step up and offer consistent quality in your products and services. Because if you don't that same crowd will turn on you like piranhas and bad-mouth your business on the viral network

Keep your promises

Be a business of your word and don't make promises you can't keep. If you promised to send free gifts to subscribers or to launch a product on a certain day or to give a special discount, then do everything in your power to make it happen as you said. You don't want to be leaving a trail of disappointed people who will never trust you again.

Respond Quickly

There are no excuses as to why you can't respond to a complaint, question or comment within at least one day. It might be a bit hard if you're running a one man show, but you can easily outsource to a social media manager or virtual assistant. If they are not responding fast enough, then you need to fire them because they are portraying the wrong image for you business

Positive Attitude

In business, it pays to be humble and willing to listen to what other people have to say, especially your customers. If you are really passionate about your business, it will reflect in your positive behavior as you handle your followers politely, happily and wholeheartedly. Getting short and frustrated even with finicky customer demands will backfire on you because all your negative communication will immediately be seen by all and sundry. And that will spread like wildfire through your social media network

Be human and personal

Always adopt a personal approach with your followers. Don't write to them as "Dear Subscriber"; instead be on a first name basis and write "Hi John". Infuse your personality into your customer service- even your quirkiness may stir up affection as people feel you are being real with them. Being human lets people know they are dealing with a fellow soul and not a computer software spitting out robotic answers.

Go the extra mile

The viral nature of social media your business' salvation or their nightmares so it's imperative as business owners to really go the extra mile to keep your followers happy. Sometimes even more than you normally would in your brick and mortar store.

I once read on a food blog how someone's kitchen mixer broke down and when she contacted the manufacturer, they told her to ship it them at her cost and they would see if they could fix it or not. What that company didn't realize this callous treatment was shared by this lady with tens of thousands of people who view her blog daily. Talk about bad publicity. If they had done their research and put on their customer service hat, they would have offered her free shipping and fixed the mixer for free or better yet offered a brand new mixer. Wouldn't that have been a cheaper and more effective marketing strategy than all their Adsense ads?

Let’s look at some ways to keep your social media groups happy.

Have a great product

Start off on the right foot and give your customers what they really want from you. It doesn’t matter how many thousands of people are following you on the web, you need to step up and offer consistent quality in your products and services. Because if you don’t that same crowd will turn on you like piranhas and bad-mouth your business on the viral network

Keep your promises

Be a business of your word and don’t make promises you can’t keep. If you promised to send free gifts to subscribers or to launch a product on a certain day or to give a special discount, then do everything in your power to make it happen as you said. You don’t want to be leaving a trail of disappointed people who will never trust you again.

Respond Quickly

There are no excuses as to why you can’t respond to a complaint, question or comment within at least one day. It might be a bit hard if you’re running a one man show, but you can easily outsource to a social media manager or virtual assistant. If they are not responding fast enough, then you need to fire them because they are portraying the wrong image for you business

Positive Attitude

In business, it pays to be humble and willing to listen to what other people have to say, especially your customers. If you are really passionate about your business, it will reflect in your positive behavior as you handle your followers politely, happily and wholeheartedly. Getting short and frustrated even with finicky customer demands will backfire on you because all your negative communication will immediately be seen by all and sundry. And that will spread like wildfire through your social media network

Be human and personal

Always adopt a personal approach with your followers. Don’t write to them as “Dear Subscriber”; instead be on a first name basis and write “Hi John”. Infuse your personality into your customer service- even your quirkiness may stir up affection as people feel you are being real with them. Being human lets people know they are dealing with a fellow soul and not a computer software spitting out robotic answers.

Go the extra mile

The viral nature of social media your business’ salvation or their nightmares so it’s imperative as business owners to really go the extra mile to keep your followers happy. Sometimes even more than you normally would in your brick and mortar store.

I once read on a food blog how someone’s kitchen mixer broke down and when she contacted the manufacturer, they told her to ship it them at her cost and they would see if they could fix it or not. What that company didn’t realize this callous treatment was shared by this lady with tens of thousands of people who view her blog daily. Talk about bad publicity. If they had done their research and put on their customer service hat, they would have offered her free shipping and fixed the mixer for free or better yet offered a brand new mixer.

There are about 4billion mobile phone users globally and a fast growing number are using smart phones like Blackberry, iPhone and Android. The advantage of mobile phones is they are affordable, their owners always have them on hand and they are always switched on. You really can’t say the same for their personal computers.

So how can a local business drive mobile phone users to their websites and businesses?

Text messages

This is the most direct way to contact mobile phone users and update them on promotions, events and other important information.

Email marketing

Most phones today allow users to access their email accounts from mobile phones meaning your customers can still read your emails and participate in sales offers.

Mobile ads

Your business can set up an ad campaign through mobile ad networks which can target mobile users within a certain radius of your business location. Just imagine a tourist or local native seeing your restaurants ad banner on his phone during lunchtime. Wouldn’t that be an extremely targeted and compelling marketing strategy?

Podcasts and Videos

Users can download your business podcasts and videocasts onto their phones. You should mention your business website address or embed it in the videocast.

Social media

Users can also access their social media accounts via mobile phones. All the more reason to open your account and keep in touch with new posts, tweets and RSS feeds.

Applications

In a study published in June 2010, The Nielsen Company showed the top mobile applications accessed by users include Facebook, Google Search, Google Maps, the Weather Channel, iTunes, Pandora, ESPN amongst others. That means your local business needs to have a presence on these applications. Optimizing your webpages for mobile users is a further step to take, so that if someone clicks on your website through Google Search, they are able to read your content. Mobile traffic cannot read regular websites.

Another point in the applications category to consider, is that local businesses can now be found by mobile users who have bought mobile apps from iPhone and the like. For example the Where Inc app helps people “Search out cool local places, events, things to do, and great deals — even coupons and special offers…. Discover what’s nearby with real-time reviews on restaurants, cheap gas, movies, weather, and more”.

It’s been said no man is an island, and the mastermind concept really reinforces this. It’s much easier to build a profitable business when you have an army of like-minded individuals behind you than when you go at it alone. However, not all mastermind groups are created equal, and as you’ll be spending a great deal of time with this group and modelling your business around many of the aspects of it, it’s important to find the right one for you.

Here are a few points to keep in mind before jumping into the mastermind concept.

Find like-minded individuals. This seems like an obvious point but many people get caught up with the mastermind concept and dive into a group that isn’t quite right for them. Take your time finding a group of like-minded individuals.

If you’re looking to build a profitable business, people that are positive and forward thinking will be a better choice than ones that are negative or dwell on what “can’t be done” rather than what can be achieved.

You’ll want to find people who also share similar business values and ethics to your own. If your goal is to build an ethical business which makes the customer the number one priority, then partnering with a group of people who simply want to “get to the top at all costs” is probably not the right choice for you.

Give yourself room to grow. Aim to find a mastermind group of individuals who are already in the place where you want to be. You’ll grow and learn more as an entrepreneur from people who are more successful than you, than by being in a group where you are at the top level.

If your group doesn’t give you the opportunity to grow as an individual or entrepreneur, you may find yourself stuck and not achieving the things you’d like. Find a group of mixed abilities where you can all benefit from each other and grow as entrepreneurs.

Expand your field. Although it can be helpful to mastermind with people in your same field, it can often be more beneficial to have a mixture of different backgrounds. The business principles are often the same even for different markets. You may grow and learn from the strategies used in different markets to your own. At the very least, you may find a fresh perspective and new approach to take within your own marketing.

Have a mixture of different markets within the group also keeps things interesting and progressive. And who knows you may discover a new potential market you’d like to get involved in.

Make sure your success is celebrated. This is perhaps one of the most important aspects of finding the right mastermind group. Often times, people may become jealous or resentful of someone else's success. The right group will celebrate your successes along with you. Instead of feeling bad because you have achieved something they haven’t, they’ll use you as an example for their own growth and development. In other words, your success will help motivate and push them to work harder – that is what the mastermind concept is truly about.

Some people may wonder what the quality of their reputation has to do with anything. Reputation can make or break a person’s individual being or a company’s business. The better the reputation, the more people and consumers alike will respond positively.

In the ways of the consumer this can be construed as them being a repeat customer. A repeat customer has formed a union, a loyalty to the particular business based upon their previous experiences there. The better the experience, the more profitable it is for everyone and everything involved.

If an individual’s reputation is poor, then there is a lack of trust from those around him. People who feel this lack of trust believe they cannot rely on you; these same thoughts and emotions are just as prevalent in a consumer world. You just may not see them as clearly because, once a dissatisfied customer leaves, there is the chance that you won’t see them again.

A company’s reputation can be partially judged by searching the internet and seeing what people have to say. Checking with the Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce are also very good ways to determine company reliability. What would you think if you saw a construction vehicle, parked at a bar late into the night? Would you wonder about the quality of their work or their reliability, not only as an individual but as an employee? Many companies have strict policies re the use of a company vehicle, and reputation plays a big part in the reason for this.

Another form of reputation is how you may stand out against your competitors or other individuals. The more you stand out in a positive aspect, the more you are positively noticed. The more positive notices you generate, the more business you generate. This simple idea works in all walks of life, in numerous situations.

I would rather go to a company that has a good reputation, even if I will spend more, rather than experience bad service elsewhere. This is also true in daily life; if help is something I need from an individual, I am not just going to go across the street and ask for help. No, I will think about those I know that could help and would be willing to help. Good help, attitude, service, ethics, all win in the end – making more happy people.

A business owner can take all the time in the world to explain their company position and there will definitely be one or unfortunately more than one customer who does not understand, gets offended and gets extremely rude.

Try to keep a clear mental attitude and divide yourself between you and the role you play within the company. Always remember never to take a customer complaint personally. The customer is being rude towards the product or service they've received. If you or your employees slip and start taking the complaint personally, that complaint turns into an issue in which emotions make the complaint a personal issue.

Try to remain calm and maintain a pleasant demeanor. Sometimes the customer is looking for a reaction, and when you fail to give them one, they will realize how ridiculous they are being and will calm down. It's human nature for people to modulate and automatically try to match the person they are talking to.

When customers are rude and upset that doesn't always mean they are wrong. It can be difficult to sort out the emotions of what they are trying to say.

Once the customer calms down, try to work together to find a solution that makes both sides happy. Telling the customer you understand will help them feel that you are on their side and are trying to help them.

Ask the customer how they think the issue should be resolved. In many cases, the customer may just want to know that they are being listened to.

Never make promises you can't keep to the customer. That's the worst thing that can be done for a customer that is already angry and upset. All the ground that has been gained could be lost in an instant with making empty promises.

Don't speak for other people without checking with them first, unless you are positive they can do what you are promising the customer. If it comes to breaking that promise made with the customer, tell the customer immediately and explain to them why that promise can't be made. Always have a Plan B in the event this happens.

Go over the conversation one more time with the customer to make sure they understand everything. This way you and the customer have a chance to correct any additional misunderstandings.

A profitable business has and shows respect not only to their employees but to their customers as well. In showing this respect you build a “bank”, and in that bank you can find return respect, appreciation, friendliness and willingness. All this adds to the recipe of having positive customer value. Having this value is a cornerstone to achieving repeat customers and less hassle. It saves time for all involved. If a manager or CEO or whoever can show that they care, then that gets passed on down the line to an employee straight to the customer.

Customers are the only reason a business stays alive. I don’t imagine that a business owner would ever go and buy enough of their own products to keep themselves afloat, so they have to rely on someone else. If you show no appreciation for the person who visits your store or online store front, even if nothing is purchased, then you need to step back and reconsider why you are doing what you are doing and either shut down business or provide what any customer needs.

Keep in mind that as soon as anyone walks into you store, they are immediately a customer, with or without a purchase. There is no rhyme or reason to have to continually find new business because of the loss of customers. To do so only means more costs to run your business and these are unnecessary costs that only inflate your overhead, giving less profit.

Develop relationships, be courteous, make them important to you and let them know that. There are so many ways to show appreciation to get value. Why not have a customer appreciation day a couple of times a year? Maybe it will be an in-store party complete with a cakewalk and prizes. Why save this only for grand openings? Maybe at holiday times, spend the extra bit of profit to buy little holiday-related cheers to hand out, or simple "thank you for doing business with us" notes that aren’t printed on the back of a receipt.

If you want your business to succeed, then cater to those who will come to visit. Think about what you want when you walk into a store. Keep in mind what you dislike about the treatment you may receive from other businesses, and know not to do that. Put out a suggestion box, and it make conspicuous. All these things show you care, and the end line will be that you build value in your customers which promotes repeat transactions as well as free, positive advertising via word of mouth.

No matter what the situation is, no matter how mad it makes you, do not say anything derogatory and do not let your body show the negative way you are feeling. Just remember, whether facing a customer in person, on the phone or via email, wait until dealing with that person before you throw any kind of fit.

Don’t ignore a problem or situation. It doesn’t matter if you were involved or not, if you see something that just isn’t quite right, step in and help by offering alternative solutions. Your associate may be new and not know how to deal with a situation as well as a seasoned associate. This little bit of interruption is positive and goes a long way towards keeping and obtaining more customers.

Don’t just pretend to listen; you will lose valuable information. Learn to speak in a concise manner which portrays a helpful attitude that will lend credence to conflict resolution. In speaking efficiently, you stand a higher chance of being understood, thus creating fewer issues and possibly relieving a tense situation. In speaking, you also use your listening skills as a side effect and with these two in play, in a positive manner, you can almost never go wrong.

Form a CSR policy that maximizes results, not only for the company but for all customers and potential customers. Make it clear and an easy read so comprehension is more easily attained.

Always remember that there is much power in words, and this power can be used to gain respect and loyalty – or immediately crash all the customer service skills one has learned. The power of words can become a razor that cuts to the quick, and instead of resolving anything it can swiftly make a smaller issue into a bigger one. We all experience negative emotions at inopportune times, but be cognizant of what you are saying as well as how you say it.

Using these skills to empower positive ways has the ability to turn any situation that is unsavory into a solution that is rewarding for all involved. Slow down, keep your cool and breathe deeply if needed. And if the opportunity arises where a break can be taken before dealing with a tough situation, take the break gather your thoughts and go take care of business.