One of the advantages of having a business online is that you can earn money any time of day. Technology enables you to bill and even respond to people while you’re sleeping, hanging out with your family, planning your business and simply enjoying life. However, in order to earn money around the clock and build your business, it’s important to be connected to your customers around the clock.

But it doesn’t have to be complex.  Here are seven small tweaks to help you  become more connected to your customers online 24/7.

1. Automate blog posts. Blogging is a great way to connect with your audience on a very personal level.  The great thing about blog technology is that you can write your blog posts in advance and schedule them to be posted each day, thus enhancing your customer contact. As a matter of fact, this blog post was written and schedule two weeks in advance because I am on vacation.

2. Use RSS. RSS technology enables customers and website visitors to subscribe to your online content. You can utilize RSS for your website and blog to notify your audience each time new content is added. It’s a great way to connect to your customers on a regular basis.

3. Automate social media posts. (But don’t forget to interact too). I use MarketMe Suite, which allows me to post in advance, just like I do with my blog. This give you double the opportunity to market your new content, promotions and business-related news, and also provides you with an ongoing opportunity to connect with your customers around the clock. What I especially love about MarketMe Suite  is that you can also automate responses for when you aren’t available.

4. Consider outsourcing 24/7 customer service if you sell products. Customer service is a valuable tool if you sell products. It enables your customers to ask questions right away and enhances the possibility that they’ll actually make a purchase. You can outsource this type of customer service or utilize a software solution. Services like Live Chat have improved conversion rates for some businesses by as much as 20%.

5. Autoresponders for inquiries. There’s nothing more frustrating for a customer than to send a question or comment and not know whether your comment has been received. Autoresponders can be set up quite easily to confirm receipt and to let your customer know how soon they’ll be hearing from you. It’s just good business to respond to customers immediately and autoresponders enable you to do this even when you’re away.

6. Autoresponders for purchases and opt-ins. Another great use for autoresponders is to set up thank you messages for purchases and opt-ins. Let your customers know you appreciate them automatically. You can also use this opportunity to up-sell or to provide more value by offering them something like a coupon on their next order. You can set up a series of autoresponders to be emailed weekly to stay in touch with customers too.

7. A consistent flow of valuable information. While e-newsletters have diminished over the past few years as blogs and social networking has taken off, newsletters, report clubs, and a consistent flow of valuable information is still appreciated by your online customers. Consider using regular emails to stay in contact with your customers on a regular basis and provide them with content and promotions they’ll appreciate.

As the internet becomes more and more competitive and customers become more and more demanding, it pays to be available to them 24/7. Use these small tweaks to your business will help you get the job done. A bigger, better bottom line will be the reward.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 at 10:30 pm and is filed under Internet Marketing, Marketing Essentials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.