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.
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.
Not all social media platforms serve the same purpose. By understanding each channel’s unique functions, you can optimize your practices to engage more customers. For example, Facebook is a great channel for responding to customer service messages and sharing photos and videos. Twitter is also a prime channel for service, but its quick nature makes it necessary for agents to respond even faster than they do on Facebook. Channels such as Instagram and Snapchat are excellent for sharing visual brand content, such as images of new products or recent events.
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. Visual content can also be used to share testimonials, information about partnerships with other brands or social causes, or current company events.
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.
Video content is excellent for educating customers on the use of your products and services. Create short videos that you can feature on both your website and your social channels. Customers will appreciate the self-service aspect of such tutorials.
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.
