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Remember when the thought of companies using social media platforms was laughable? After all, these sites weren’t transforming how we live or anything. They were just a flash in the pan and we were happy to let them enjoy their 15 minutes of fame.
Well, to paraphrase Cardi B, those little 15 minutes lasted long as hell.
Flash forward to today. Social media has become so pervasive, companies can’t afford to ignore it, and social customer experience is now a strategic business priority.
Why? Because increasingly, that’s where customers are:
3.9 billion people worldwide are social media users (that’s almost half the world’s population), including:
- 2% of Baby Boomers
- 5% of Gen X
- 4% of Millennials
- 97% of Gen Z
So, if you’re not already paying attention to your social customer experience, you should be.
What is social customer experience?
Social customer experience is how your customer interacts with your brand on social media. It’s the collection of engagements, likes, replies, DMs, shares, comments, and follows across all your profiles and pages.
Most companies today have a social media presence, and are adept at using it to connect with customers or promote their brand. But fewer have integrated social into the entire customer experience.
That means companies that are able to do so, and do so well, could secure a strong competitive advantage.
Digital experience management trends transforming CX in 2022
If you want to secure a competitive edge in the coming year, here are five digital experience management trends you can't ignore.
How to socialize your entire CX
Start by mapping out your social customer journey. Just as you create a journey map for your overarching customer experience, create one that specifically focuses on social. What platforms are you on? How is your audience connecting with you there? (And: are there any platforms you’re not on, but should be?)
Then, use that to identify areas of your customer experience where social engagement may boost performance.
Here are just a few ways to make the most of social media across different CX pillars.
Marketing
Most brands see social media as an extension of their marketing program. It’s a way to build brand awareness and promote products, services and events to a ton of people. But it doesn’t have to stop there.
Sure, you’ve got social profiles for your company. But you could go further by tapping into an invaluable marketing resource: your employees.
Enabling leadership and employees to engage turns them into social brand advocates for your company. It humanizes your brand and is a great way to showcase your team’s expertise and thought leadership.
To do this effectively, you need to be sure you’re sharing content that’s relevant and compelling enough that customers and employees alike will want to engage. Don’t just push products and promotions. Share thought leadership. Promote corporate responsibility initiatives. Host TweetChats or LinkedIn Live events to talk about industry trends.
This all helps boost your brand’s reputation and build deeper connections with your audience online.
Employees as social advocates: It’s a two-way street
Empower your employees to be social advocates by giving them training and support. Give them the freedom to represent your brand.
Customer Service
Today, 63% of customers expect brands to deliver customer service via social channels. And 34% say social is their preferred channel for service (over phone, email, or chatbots).
To deliver exceptional service on social, it helps to understand why customers like it. People typically opt to engage with brands on social media for two big reasons: it’s fast, and it’s personal. (Which just so happen to be two things they look for in great customer service!)
So if you’re going to use your social channels to field service requests (which you should), be sure to keep those factors top-of-mind. Avoid over-automating tasks, and be proactive about responding to messages quickly.
Caveat: If you can’t be “on” 24/7, it’s okay to automate responses during off hours to manage expectations. Just be sure to follow up first thing the next morning.
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A social media customer service strategy can boost customer engagement, loyalty, and trust by being there when - and where - your customers need you.
Sales
How can you infuse social customer experience into your sales organization? Social selling involves building vital sales relationships (such as prospecting and nurturing leads) on social channels. It’s not a new concept, but it has certainly leveled up in our post-pandemic era.
And it’s effective. According to LinkedIn:
- Sales reps who responded quickly to social media inquiries saw a 5% increase in annual revenue
- It costs 75% less to generate leads on social platforms versus other media
- Reps who embrace social selling are 51% more likely to reach their quotas
If you want to sell smarter, build social selling into your larger sales strategy. Use social data to identify prospects, and train your reps to use social channels to build strong relationships with customers and prospects.
Social selling isn’t about selling
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Commerce
I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for Instagram ads. I’m more likely to buy a product served up to me there than on basically any other platform.
And, I work in marketing and tech – I know I’m being targeted and marketed to. Knowing doesn’t make it any less effective – no matter what state I’m in.
Social commerce is an extremely effective commerce strategy, allowing you to sell products to customers directly from your social channels. It’s a $89.4 billion industry.
It’s effective because it removes the barriers between a customer seeing a product they like, and purchasing it. They can see the product, read reviews left in the comments, and purchase without ever leaving their app.
Not all platforms support social selling. Right now it’s mostly prevalent on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, although TikTok just recently launched a shopping option, too.
Like and buy: How to strike gold with social commerce
Social platforms provide brands with a unique window to meet shoppers where they are most engaged. Find out how brands can build a profitable social commerce strategy.
Social customer experience is here to stay
No matter your industry, as time goes on your customer base will increasingly be made up of millennials and Gen Z, the majority of whom are active on social media. The sooner you start to prioritize your social customer experience, the better.
