5 Ways To Use Social Media To Improve Customer Experiences

by | Apr 11, 2021 | Marketing & Branding, Voice of Customer & Insights | 0 comments

Social Media is a proven, valuable tactic to increase brand awareness, product interest, and website traffic. Having managed campaigns for top brands as well as leveraging social platforms for my blog, I can unequivocally say that social media marketing works. While the benefits may be common knowledge, many leaders don’t realize and capitalize on social media as a useful source of “voice of customer” (VOC) data. Unstructured feedback, like social conversations, is just as important as structured data, i.e. customer surveys, and needs to be incorporated into a holistic CX program.

 

5 Tips On How To Improve Customer Experiences using Social Media:

 

1. Actively respond to what people are saying, both positive and negative views.

“77% users feel more positive about a brand when their Tweet has been replied to.” Use social media to thank customers for positive reviews and to answer questions.

2. Leverage social media to establish and reinforce that your company is customer-centric.

Respond PUBLICLY first (even if you move the conversation to a direct private chat to handle the specifics). When I see a customer complaint and no brand response, it makes me wonder if the company cares. When the brand is quiet, there is no proof that they are committed to resolving customer pain points. Perception is reality!

3. Use social platforms to communicate value propositions.

Social media has an essential role in the Awareness & Learn stages of the customer buying cycle. I talk more about the importance of the Awareness & Learn stages in these articles where I dig into the how and why of customer journey mapping (with a free downloadable template), “93% Pinterest users leverage the platform to plan purchases. 26% of Facebook users who have clicked on an ad make a purchase.” In fact, social media impacts many customer journey points, which leads me to the next tip.

4. Capitalize on social media to provide best-in-class customer support.

The “Get Help” stage of the customer journey can make or break a brand’s reputation. While an 800 number is a common way to provide support, people want options. According to J.D. Power, “67% of consumers have used a company’s social media channel for customer service.” Keep in mind that response time matters. Research cited by Jay Baer reveals that “42% of consumers expect a response within 60 minutes.” If it takes too long, social media can cause customer dissatisfaction and turn a brand promoter into a detractor (Learn more about NPS impact here). The opposite can happen too.

5. Use social media to get quick feedback to validate new concepts, product appeal, price perceptions and market messaging prior to launch. 

It’s easy to develop a survey on social media and it’s an effective way to reach audiences beyond the current customer base. I don’t recommend relying on social media as your only source of Voice of Customer feedback, but it certainly is good when combined with other methods to drive business decisions.

Learn more about how to make Voice of Customer your game changer.

Are you Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right?

*All views expressed are Stacys and do not reflect the opinions of or imply the endorsement of employers or other organizations.

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