There are a lot of ways in which the modern world seems to want to keep people apart. We’re constantly seeing stories about how things like social media are creating distance between people and making us forget how to connect. The question is, are those stories actually true? Well, the reality is actually that most of us have never been so connected as we are right now, and there are few places where that is more relevant than in modern businesses. One of the biggest challenges for many businesses is the fact that there has always been a certain degree of distance between them and their customers. However, in the modern era, all that seems to have changed. In order to get a better idea of exactly how it’s changed, here are a few ways in which businesses and customers have never been as connected as they are right now.

Logistics

When it comes to getting your products out to customers, there have previously been a few specific ways that you can do it. Most of the time you would end up having to focus on delivering your products to retailers and then customers would find the products through them. Now, there are plenty of benefits to the traditional retail supply chain. For one thing, it allows you to hand over some of the marketing responsibility to the retailer. However, it also comes with its fair share of drawbacks as well. Firstly, there’s the financial issue since you’re going to end up having to pay retailers to stock your products in the first place. Not only that but the loss of control over the product when things are handed over to retailers can cause problems as well. Luckily, there are options like drop shipping available to you now. Check out this drop shipping guide to see just how useful it can be. It allows you to bypass the traditional retail chain and connect directly with customers in a way that was never really possible before.

Behind the scenes blogs

Here’s something that far too many business owners simply aren’t aware of: customers do not care about your business. That might sound harsh but it’s true, and it’s best that you come to terms with it now rather than later. Customers don’t care about faceless businesses because in their mind a business only exists for one reason, to take their money. And that’s pretty understandable since, as far as customers are concerned, they have no sign that there’s anything else going on behind the scenes. So, why not show them what’s going on behind the scenes? Having a blog attached to your website that is dedicated to giving your customers the inside scoop on your business can build up a connection with them that you might otherwise never be able to achieve. It not only lets customers feel as though they’re privy to secrets that they might never otherwise be aware of, but it can also show them that your business is far from a generic, faceless corporation and instead is filled with creative, dedicated people who are doing everything they can to make it the best business possible.

Social media

When it comes to marketing, it’s traditionally been somewhat broad, trying to reach as many people at once. Now there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s been an incredibly effective strategy for many businesses over the years. However, with the rise of social media, there are some new ways in which companies are able to connect with and market to their customers. Social media allows you to share content with customers on a much more individual level. Even if you’re putting out normal marketing, it’s presence on someone’s Facebook timeline makes it that much more personal to them. Not only that but you can see the responses people are having to your marketing in real time, and you can even respond back to customers. The ability to start up a genuine dialogue with people can be an amazing way to develop strong emotional connections. Simple things like making jokes and providing them with entertaining content are some of the very best ways that you can get as much as possible out of your social media as a method of creating connections with your customers.

Content creation

It used to be the case that the marketing that you spread to your customers was a pretty one-sided affair. You advertised to them, and they either decided that they wanted your product or they didn’t. In the modern era, content has become one of the most important aspects of any business’s marketing, and it allows you to create a much more two-sided connection with your customers. Not only does content marketing put them in a position where they want to share it with their friends and family, but it’s also much more likely to provoke a response. This can start up the kinds of dialogues that social media is so good at encouraging and can help you and your customers find a connection that older methods of marketing never could.

Multiple connection avenues

Of course, social media isn’t, and shouldn’t be the only method through which you can connect with your customers. The truth is that there are now more ways to talk directly to your customers than ever before and it’s incredibly important that you use every single one of them. Things like setting up a mailing list so that customers can find out about new products and promotions right away, or connecting your different online platforms together so that you can create something of a community are both incredibly important aspects of your business that are new enough that a lot of people aren’t paying them enough attention.

Of course, the connection that you have to your customers is only really worth anything if you’re able to make the most of it. You can’t simply rely on the fact that it’s easier than ever to connect with your customers if you’re not willing to put in the kind of work required to get anything out of that connection. Make sure that you’re doing everything you can to reach out to your customers and help to make the connection between them and your business as strong as possible.