“Customer service isn’t what it used to be.” That’s something we always hear. In days of yore consumers would go to their small local retailer and interact with helpful sales staff. These days, we go to big box stores and wander around seemingly for days as though we’re in the desert hoping to find an oasis of assistance.
The good news is that Social media is a fast, inexpensive way to establish the kind of two-way relationship between retailers and customers and build the feel of community that used to exist in days gone by. To fully appreciate the power of this community building potential, retailers must first understand that social media allows and encourages people to come together for a conversation, much like getting together with friends at a barbecue.
Social media can help your business in the following key areas:
– Reduce customer service calls. By responding to queries via Facebook a company reduces the number of calls it receives, handles and processes.
– Increase brand awareness by building a strong community through a direct communications tool.
– Provide instantaneous consumer feedback… good and bad. All you have to do is listen.
– Support in the recruitment of new staff.
Companies must initially identify the core strategies that must be aligned with their objectives. Next, an audit of any existing programs should be conducted to ascertain which are working so as to deliver continued leverage, and which should be eliminated or tweaked. Only then can your company make strategic decisions regarding the right avenues to reach your consumers. You might then want to invite your consumers to join your existing on-line community, thus giving you implicit permission to engage them in future conversations. Awareness of your brand will grow as more people join your community and begin to interact with each other.
Your on-line presence behaves like a spider web. All roads lead to its centre. The threads that make up your web are the various methods used to drive traffic to the centre of the web… your website. Although it’s been said that “all roads lead to Rome”, in this case all roads lead to your website!
Comments must be answered in a timely, relevant and lighthearted manner showing that your company is engaged. Your company will then become identified by its online persona.
A helpful tip would be to identify centres of influence within your e-mail list or those who have a large number of Facebook friends. By connecting with them you immediately reach a large audience and can quickly build interest and a wider community.