Customers have high expectations from companies and brands these days. If your company is not on top of its social media game, then you’re losing your customers’ loyalty, and not gaining any new ground. Following some social media best practices will ensure your existing customers and potential customers see your company in the best light.
Prompt Responses
In today’s internet fast market, your customers expect an immediate response when they reach out to you. According to a study, over 50% of customers expect a business to respond to them online within an hour. If those customers are reaching out to you because they have a complaint, that percentage rises to over 70%. Best in class response times hover at 30 minutes, and some companies target a response time as fast as 90 seconds. The not so surprising fact is that customers are more likely to buy from, as well recommend that their friends and family buy from a brand which has a quick response time.
Communicate
If your target market is younger people, like Millennials and Gen Z, then pursuing them on social media is not going to work. Approximately 75% of the younger generations prefer a two way dialogue with credible sources like blogs and online communities. Talk to your customers, don’t talk at them.
Learn More
About your customers, that is. Only 1% of companies who collect social and legacy customer data use it to its full potential. You have all this information at your fingertips, and you can use it to anticipate the needs of your customers in real time. When a company truly learns about the wants, needs, and expectations of their customers, and attempts to provide them with the right solutions, that company can disrupt, in the best way, the very nature of customer service.
Remain Engaged
This time we mean with your own people. Not everyone in your company is going to be a social media expert, but all of your people will have answers to something that’s important. Let your social media agents leverage others within the organization, when they need subject matter experts across different departments, to assist with customer queries and problems. It’s all about the customer, and ultimately answering the customers’ needs.
Share, Share, Share
It’s important to share the good experiences your customers have with you, particularly those that happened over social media. Maybe you solved a problem in minutes for a customer. Or perhaps you received a compliment from one. It doesn’t have to be restricted to exchanges over social media either, but they do have to be shared on social media. Not only does it build your brand’s reputation, it encourages a collaborative environment within your company.
Use Technology
Social media can be overwhelming, but luckily there are a host of tools out there to make that job easier. Where you can, eliminate. And where you can’t, automate.
Measuring Success
Finally, measure the impact that social media brings to your business. This will help in deciding how much to budget for it, whether it is actually making an impact, and if not, how to best utilize social media to make the biggest impact.
While you’re making a social media splash, don’t forget to have fun! When you’re genuinely enjoying social conversations with your customers, followers, and target market, the communication will be more authentic. People buy from people they like and trust. Your social media presence will build your brand as a trustworthy company.
Read more relevant blog post: Blog