How to use social media to keep up with your customers

Social media is a must-have tool for keeping up and communicating with customers.

Never before has there been an opportunity for communication between customers and businesses that is so immediate and available.

Customers are like elephants - they remember everything, especially when a business is friendly and helpful online. Here are a few reasons that you absolutely need to be using social media as a part of your customer service management and a few ways to handle common issues.

Your customers are like elephants – they remember everything about your business. 

Using social media for customer service gives customers a much more personal experience. They're not submitting a contact form online or sitting on hold with a call center. They're talking to a real, live member of your company and getting their problems heard firsthand.

You're also encouraging more brand mentions. If customers are aware that you're able to help with their issues online, then they're going to write on your Facebook wall or tweet your company, getting you more brand mentions and more eyes on your business.

Lastly, social media users are more likely to talk about their experiences, both good and bad. If your social media customer service team really impresses your customers, they're going to spread the word. That word of mouth marketing is one of the most powerful types of marketing out there.

So, how do you engage in social media? Here are a few examples.

1. Negative reviews

Yes, occasionally it's going to happen: You're going to get a poor review on your company's Facebook page. Don't take it personally. It happens to everyone. But do take it seriously. This is the perfect chance to respond to the person's bad experience and try to turn it around. When other people see how well you responded to bad reviews, they're actually more likely to buy from you than they would be if they were only reading good reviews.

2. Questions and concerns

If someone posts on your company's Facebook wall or tweets your company with a question or concern (i.e., they ordered something weeks ago and still haven't received it), be sure to respond in a timely manner with an answer to their question or concern. Not only does this make the person feel better and know they're being heard, but other people will see how good your company is at responding to customer concerns and offering reassurance.

Twitter users expect a response to their tweets faster than any
other network, so always keep your Twitter alerts on. 

3. Positive reviews

Your business has done something right! You're floating on a cloud! Although there are no issues to respond to in this situation, you still want to make sure that you reply to show your thanks and appreciation for your customers.

4. Pictures, check-ins, or other random mentions.

Often, customers will post photos or check-in at your establishment. Other times you'll simply get a random tweet talking about your business. Always interact with these posts to show your customers that you see them. 'Like' photos on Instagram, like/comment on check-ins on Facebook, and like/reply to mentions on Twitter (bonus points if you use Twitter's GIF feature).

Using social media for customer service offers many benefits for your business and absolutely zero consequences. People love to know that your business handles both positive and negative comments quickly and with ease - this is a great way to build trust in your brand.

If you're looking for other ways to build trust and bring in more customers, consider incorporating your social media approach into an overall inbound marketing strategy. Download your free copy of our B2B Guide to Inbound Marketing to learn more about building effective digital marketing plans. 

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