Social Media Marketing is more than just posting a link to an article or a funny meme. Social Media Marketing is not only a forum to post information that will generate interest and engagement, increasing online visibility, search rank and more. Social Media Marketing is an opportunity for communication between your business and your customer.
Though many businesses still don’t understand the importance of using Social Media as a customer service tool.
Recently Sprout Social surveyed 1,000 consumers about what their top choice for customer care would be and 90% said they have used the Social sites to communicate with a brand. Additionally, consumers tend to reach out on Social Media when they have a problem with a product/service before any other method of communication, including phone and email.
The sad fact is businesses are not keeping up with their customers. The survey found that customers, on average, wait 10 hours for a response, but think that 4 hours is acceptable to wait. Furthermore, businesses are only responding to about 11% of the people on social media.
The really disappointing result is that for every one response a business gives to its consumers they are sending 23 promotional messages.
For a marketing platform where it’s all about the customer, businesses don’t seem to be following this rule.
“Brand behaviors don’t even come close to syncing up with people’s expectations on social. According to new data from Sprout, people want a response, and they want it much faster than most organizations are either willing or able to give.” (Sprout Social)
When you ignore your customers on Social Media they are:
- More likely to go to a competitor.
- Less likely to use your product/service.
- More likely to post negative feedback.
The study found that 73% of people have had a negative experience with a business on Social Media. 36% of people have used Social Media to shame a company for poor service and 30% of people have gone to a competitor if they do not get a response from the business.
However, businesses that respond to their customers and provide good customer service have great results. 75% of respondents said they would share a good experience on Social Media and 70% would be more likely to use the product or service.
People aren’t asking for much just that you respond to them when they reach out. If you let them hang for longer than 4 hours they will move on and likely not use your services/products.
“Dialogue with your community isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Unfortunately, too many brands are leaving money on the table or, worse, spurning people who then become vocal adversaries.” (Sprout Social)
It’s time for businesses to rethink their Social Media strategies.
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