Social media platforms have evolved from a novelty to a personal interaction media to a powerful business tool. Because it can do so much, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly how to leverage social media as you nurture and grow your business. Here are some tips to improve your customers’ experiences using social media.
Table of Contents:
- Respond Quickly to Customer Feedback and Posts
- Glean Insights from Negative Reviews
- Put the Spotlight on Your Customers
- Don’t Be Afraid to Toot Your Own Horn
- Be Human
Respond Quickly to Customer Feedback and Posts
You create a more organic, natural interaction with your client base by responding quickly to customer posts and feedback, this is also part of your customer journey. You can think of each post or piece of feedback you get from your customers as the beginning of a conversation. In a regular, face-to-face interaction, people tend to speak within seconds or less after the other person. You should try a similar approach when interacting with people through social media channels: The faster your response, the more engaged you seem.
In this way, you sent a clear message to your customers’ needs: Even though I’m a busy business owner, your thoughts are important enough for me to stop my day, listen, and respond.
Glean Insights from Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can be challenging to read. But it’s important to look at them as insight engines instead of insults. It is important to realize that even though you have a bad review, this person still needs customer care. Some customers may have a negative experience and never say anything about it; they may simply stop doing business with you. This is why it is important to have customer support to be able to have real-time knowledge of what your customer’s are saying. So a negative review is valuable because it gives you a better understanding of how at least one customer perceives what you are offering.
Therefore, it’s best to pose the following questions while reading each negative review:
- What was the actual problem? Are there any pain points? Does their concern stem more from the service they received or the quality of our product?
- If the person were directly in front of me and the whole room was watching to see what I’d say, how would I respond? Then use this to inspire a reply.
- Why did they take the time to post this review? Is it because they may still be interested in purchasing in the future?
- Considering that others may feel the same way, what adjustments should we make to avoid this in the future?
- Was there any aspect of the review that was positive? If so, how can I highlight this in my reply—without disregarding the customer’s concern?
Put the Spotlight on Your Customers
Even though your business has a lot to offer, people tend to use social media to learn about others, and highlighting the customer satisfaction honors this desire. For instance, you can:
- Post content users make using your product or service.
- Turn customer experiences into case studies and post them on your social media pages—after getting the customer’s permission, of course.
- Throw a friendly shoutout to a loyal customer. Say something good about them, express thanks, or highlight a cool facet of their business if they’re an entrepreneur.
By spotlighting your customers, you let them know that you’re paying attention to them and what’s important in their lives. This makes it easier for them to form a connection with your business and also helps with building brand loyalty.
Don’t Be Afraid to Toot Your Own Horn
If you receive an award, you should feel free to post about it. Don’t think of it as bragging. You’re really letting the world know about one of your qualifications, something that makes you an ideal fit to meet people’s needs and also reaching your target audience letting them know your business is the better option.
Also, it’s important to remember that when you post about an award or accolade, you give a potential customer something they can use to convince a decision-maker to invest in your business. It will also give you a bigger demographic for your brand. If a new customer is on the fence regarding whether they want to go with you or someone else, one of your accomplishments can be the tipping point.
Be Human
It’s easy to spend so much time trying to be professional that you forget how to show your human side, but social media is the perfect outlet for letting your hair down a little and showing some relevant content. It can also be the perfect outlet and a cheap way to show off your new products and releases. Here are some things you can do to make sure you come across as just another relatable human being:
- Try to show some emotion in some of your posts. Don’t be afraid to convey excitement, disappointment, happiness, or even sadness, depending on the situation.
- Use humor, even if it’s a little bit corny. Everybody enjoys an occasional dad joke, whether they’re LOL’ing or SMH’ing. Likewise, it’s OK to try to make your customers smile.
- Use behind-the-scenes videos and pictures of how your company does things behind the scenes. When customers see how hard you work and how much thought you put into what you do, it can draw them to you, your employees, and what you offer.
At first, reaching out to customers via social media marketing may feel awkward, even if that means posting content they might like. But, with time, it’s bound to get easier and also helps with your customer engagement. Play around with different interactions and posts, keep track of what gets the best responses, and capitalize on every chance you get to interact with your customers. This way you will grow your online presence and build your brand’s reputation. Soon, your social media accounts can become powerful customer experience tools.
