If your business isn’t taking advantage of social media platforms, this begs the question – why not? Social media is the simplest, best form of customer service available online today. It not only allows your clients and customers to keep in direct contact with you, but allows your business to actually benefit from the interaction in a number of ways. It is a win-win situation for customers and business owners alike. Instead of just viewing social media from a marketing perspective, here are 15 ways to improve your customer service using social media.
1) Being devoted to social media is the first thing you need to master. Time should be allocated each day to your social media pages, and the first area that you can use this time for is to conduct market research. This is a free way of finding out just what people like and don’t like about your business. Use surveys and polls to get instant feedback from your important clients and customers.
2) Secondly, the interlinking aspect of social media is extremely powerful and just by posting interesting content; you are immediately exposed to all your followers and their followers, as well as anyone who decides to share your news. Even journalists or bloggers can pick up on your content and distribute it – all for free.
3) Gain credibility as an expert source of information. You should take some time to participate in discussions and answer questions whenever you can, on topics that are directly linked to your industry on external social media pages, but also in your own social media groups, where your customers want to hear from you.
4) Social Proof is an important aspect of social media and will enhance your credibility by way of social signals, meaning the number of Retweets or Facebook “likes” for example. This kind of author authority is now considered an essential factor when it comes to Google rankings.
5) Offer something extra to your clients and customers via social media platforms. This can be done in the form of a competition, special discount or promotion that is specifically for your followers. This has the two-way effect of not only improving your customer service, but it gets more people to join your social media pages to take advantage of these specials.
6) The instantaneous nature of social media will allow your business to communicate effectively with your clients and customers, providing them with the ultimate support and service they require. Whether it is communicating through interactive methods such as video chat and video conferencing, or responding immediately to customer questions or complaints, this kind of direct human contact increases customer retention.
7) Feedback from social media platforms can lead the way to new products and innovations. What better way to show your customer that you care, than by actually taking their ideas and advice and implementing it into your business model?
8) The dynamic nature of social media is highly beneficial for customer service, as you can establish conversations with customers and clients, find “thought leaders” in your industry, and enhance your communication strategy effectively. Being in touch has never been easier!
9) Social media is a quick, affordable and highly effective way to introduce your branding to the world and to get your brand noticed.
10) Track your brand and find out what conversations are taking place talking about your business or products. Any problems can be pin-pointed and rectified immediately.
11) Watch certain trends emerge across the various social media platforms and take advantage of them.
12) Networking is easy. For the B2B market, sites like LinkedIn offer you the opportunity to make connections and start networking with others in your industry.
13) Social Media advertising in the form of paid ads can be used. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have now implemented this. These ads provide quick exposure to the social marketplace.
14) SEO, or search engine optimization, uses social media platforms effectively and is one of the basic elements that should be included in every SEO campaign. Not only will it provide essential backlinks, but also “Social Proof”, the new factor in search engine rankings.
15) The final way to improve your customer service by way of social media includes using many forms of social media, instead of just one. Facebook and LinkedIn are great for communication and building customer relationships, while social news sites like Digg or bookmarking sites like Delicious and Twitter are perfect for introducing new products and announcing your content.
Whatever social media sites you use, make sure you read and learn all of the etiquette before you start. The aim is to be social, first and foremost – not promotional, then develop these easy techniques to enhance your customer service.
