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6 Ways to Engage Customers on Social Media

Social media platforms are the most unique of all the channels used for customer engagement. On one hand, they are excellent for responding to customer service inquiries. However, their inherently fun and personal nature also make them ideal for telling brand stories, sharing interesting visual content, and engaging customers in conversations proactively. And statistics show that customers are definitely responding: Forrester states that 80% of consumers use social channels to engage with companies. Here are six ways to engage your customers on social media.

Differentiate social media channels according to their pursued goals.

Each social media platform has its own community, codes, and social functions. Not all platforms allow you to achieve the same goals:

  • Facebook is the most popular social media platform with over 2.8 billion active users. It is ideal for businesses looking to reach a wider audience and promote their brand. You can use Facebook to share news about your company, promotions, videos, or interact with customers (including responding to customer service messages).
  • Instagram is a visual platform, perfect for promoting your brand image through videos and images. It is highly popular among millennials and Generation Z. Brands can use Instagram to share product images, events, behind-the-scenes photos, or customer photos.
  • Twitter is an ideal platform for businesses seeking to interact with customers in real-time due to its instantaneous nature. It is often used to share news, live updates, and commentary on current events. Businesses can also use Twitter to provide quick and efficient customer support.
  • Snapchat is perfect for sharing visual content of your brand, such as images of new products and recent events.
  • TikTok is a rapidly growing social media platform, popular among Generation Z. It is ideal for businesses looking to creatively promote their brand and reach a younger audience. Businesses can use TikTok to share fun videos, tutorials, or behind-the-scenes footage.

Depending on your business goals, you can choose the most suitable platforms to reach your target audience and effectively promote your brand. Once you understand the specificities of each social media platform, you can optimize your practices and create unique communities for each platform to engage your customers further.

Offer excellent customer service

First and foremost, your social channels should be used to deliver great customer service. Ad Week notes that 54% of customers actually prefer these channels for service over phone and email. If you ignore your customers’ messages, the price can be quite high: One-third of Americans have used these channels to complain about a brand. Your customer service agents therefore need to monitor and respond to inquiries in a timely manner. Negative comments should never be ignored, and agents may invite frustrated customers to continue the conversation on a private channel. Do not forget that your customers expect a quick resolution to their issues. Make sure to provide concrete and effective solutions to their concerns.

Personalize customer interactions. They want to feel treated as individuals, not just a number. Use their name in responses, and adapt your tone to their communication style.

Maintain professionalism, even if a customer is angry or frustrated. Stay calm and courteous in your responses. Avoid defensive replies and use professional language.

Lastly, train your customer service teams. Ensure that your customer service team is well-trained to handle customer inquiries on social media and has the necessary resources to resolve issues.

Share brand stories

Social channels are a great place to share brand stories. Through photos and videos, your company can tell the story of how your brand originated. Such storytelling is especially appealing to millennial customers who enjoy emotional connections with the brands they support.

It is also possible to share various kinds of information through visual content:

  • Customer testimonials,
  • Company news,
  • Partnerships with other brands,
  • Social causes and participation in charitable events…

By sharing brand-related stories on social media, you can create an emotional connection with customers and strengthen their engagement with your brand. Remember to keep the stories authentic and aligned with your company values.

Engage customers in contests

One of the most creative ways to engage customers proactively is through contests. For example, you might use your social channels to ask customers to vote on favorite products, choose names for new products, or even share videos and photos of themselves with your merchandise. Such engagement makes customers feel that they are part of a community, and it makes them happy to support you.

Educate your customers

Educating your customers on social media is an effective way to enhance their engagement and loyalty towards your brand.

  • Create tutorials: Nothing is more effective than video content for teaching your customers how to use your products and services. Create short videos that you can present on both your website and social media channels. Customers will appreciate the self-service aspect of these tutorials.
  • Respond to customer questions on social media, whether in comments or through private messages. This can help dispel misunderstandings and clarify issues, thereby improving the customer experience.
  • Share educational resources such as whitepapers, guides, and e-books to help customers better understand topics related to your industry. This can showcase your expertise in your field and help customers better grasp the benefits of your product or service.
  • Organize webinars on topics relevant to your industry. Webinars are an excellent way to share in-depth knowledge with customers and give them the opportunity to ask questions live.
  • Use educational hashtags to share relevant information about your industry. Hashtags can help customers easily find your content and learn more about your company.

Remember your mobile customers

While some social channels are easily accessible from non-mobile devices, remember that many customers prefer using these platforms on the go. In addition, some messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat are designed for smartphones. Be sure to cater to your mobile customers by offering support on the go, such as using chatbots in messaging programs that provide quick, automated service. Social media channels have excellent potential for customer engagement. By balancing service communications with proactive publications of appealing brand content, you can meet a wide audience of customers who are eager to engage with you online. 

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