Social media has traditionally been a place for people to connect with their social networks and share photos and videos. However, those days are long gone, and social media is now so much more than just that. Working with a leisure and tourism client in North Yorkshire has highlighted this and responding to comments and answering questions on social media is now a twice daily task (at least).
Social media has become a retail platform, a product discovery platform, research platform, review/recommendation platform, and now, even a customer service platform. I try to encourage all of my customers to recognise social media networks as platforms for delivering customer service. It has become to go to place for questions, enquiries, bookings and even complaints.
This transition happened gradually, but it is now happening more. I’ve been working for a global security-based company in County Durham, and just today a large order came in off the back of a Facebook post. Proving that social media is now the direct way to reach the businesses with the products and services that consumers are looking for.
As much as social media is only one element of my workload, it’s quite the vital element owing to the massive repercussions of not handling a customer well in front of other users. So, it becomes all the more important for brands to handle these customers well. I always talk to my customers about their social media and plan it out (on an old-fashioned planner!) at least a month in advance. They know what is coming up, I know what to start thinking about, and I also get to know their businesses sooner and in more detail. From a marketing perspective I can make a business look as good as my customer wants me to, websites, social media and blogs all create a brand image, but if the process doesn’t go the whole circle then it falls down at the marketing stage. If I create an image of a business that is friendly, successful and wants to attract new customers, then they don’t get a reply to their message or comment, they will immediately be disappointed. As a business I wouldn’t want to spend my hard earned money on attracting new customers that I then don’t deal with effectively. When there is so much information in the public domain, it all needs to be consistent and it all needs to be factual, believable and TRUE!
For most of my customers I am their only marketing resource, so it is vitally important for me to be responsive and answer questions and comments in a timely manner. As a customer I expect a response within a few hours, certainly no longer than a day (unless it’s a weekend), so I deliver the same service in my business and for my customers.
Marketing is a 7 day business, and social media can be a 24 hour business. I work flexibly where I can, which means I work on a night and weekend so you don’t have to. For an informal chat or a free marketing consultation give me a call, 07825 852746.