Social media distributes breaking news in real-time, hosts debates, sustains political campaigns and even helps elect world leaders. For many businesses, Twitter and Facebook have become critically important communication tools, furthering brand awareness and assisting existing marketing strategies.
But as the true potential of social media is realised, it is also rapidly becoming a fundamental cornerstone of customer service. Customers are finding a voice online. Salesforce.com’s recent YouGov survey of 2050 customers found 49 per cent of people now use search engines such as Google as their first port of call when seeking advice that may previously have been provided by customer service departments. And 41 per cent of respondents said they would be impressed if a company proactively reached out to them via the web after a complaint was posted on a public forum.
Companies can monitor more closely what is being said about them and react more quickly to praise or criticism by joining all online conversations. Let’s consider the old adage about customer service. It’s claimed that someone who receives bad customer service will tell nine people, whereas someone who receives good customer service will tell just one person. With around two million tweets per day, when it comes to Twitter, bad news travels fast. In the age of new media, old proverbs are becoming more relevant.
Social media is the present. And it will certainly be the future too, with Twitter alone growing more than 1000 per cent per year, businesses can no longer afford to ignore its increasing significance. Here’s a five-point survival guide for businesses seeking to make the most of social media.
1. Know your purpose
The social fabric of the web is no longer optional – it’s mandatory. Social media networks are becoming part of our day-to-day lives and there are thousands of conversations taking place over the Internet that can potentially provide your business with a wealth of information. If you turn your back on social media, you’ll be ignoring a valuable customer service feedback resource. When you decide to bring your business into the social media age, knowing your purpose becomes all-important. Is it to engage, learn, innovate, sell, or provide better customer service?
2. Know your limits
Social media integration needs a pragmatic strategy if it is to yield the results you want. Make sure you can define what you’re looking to achieve and how far you want to go, or your social media policy will become too diffused and ultimately ineffective. For example, if there’s a gap in your business’s knowledge of customer service, construct a plan identifying precisely what you want to find out and implement a relevant strategy to do so. But set boundaries: embracing social media for the sake of it can be a waste of resources. Focus your approach.
3. On target
It’s vital to set some KPIs to measure effectiveness – such as click-throughs, numbers of tweets, fans on Facebook, or link forwards. Set targets early – these can evolve as you proceed but in the beginning will help to focus your social media strategy.
4. Pick a platform
As soon as you’ve developed a plan, it’s vital to target and select the appropriate applications and outlets to achieve success. Twitter will help deliver rolling updates and news, as well as providing a platform for customer interaction, whereas Facebook can be used as a profile-building tool. It’s important to embrace enough platforms, but not so many that your overall strategy suffers.
5. Commit to the long-term
Integrating social media takes time, and requires commitment and resources. The most accurate and useful findings will only shine through in time. And when they do, they could signal the difference between success and failure for your business.
