5 Point Checklist for Keeping Customers Happy on Social Media

The social media explosion that began in 2008 and has been going on since then, has taken the world by storm. Today nearly 2 billion people are actively on various social networking sites. This makes it a prime stomping ground particularly for the millennials and digital marketers cannot be far behind in garnering their attention on this new age platform.

But it is vital to have a social media strategy in place in order to make the right noises in front of your target audience. Interacting with your customers might be free on social media but to make the right impact you need to learn more about the art of making your customers happy on social media.

A ready reckoner for ensuring customer satisfaction on social channels

1. Be an avid listener to your customer’s voice
One might be surprised at the amount of insights one can gather by just being a passive listener on the social media. There is a tremendous amount of information exchange happening at breakneck speeds and investing in a good social listening tool can help brands have a finger on the pulse of their core audience.

There are various reasons why progressive brands today are so keen on knowing what their customers are talking about. It could for reasons of staying updated, trying to understand the persona of the user, gaining valuable insights and information about the buying habit, and deploying this newfound knowledge to market in a better, personalized and non-interruptive way to the same consumers.

2. Proactively engage with your audience
You don’t have to wait for the customers to make a really nagging complaint before you decide it’s time to get involved. That by its very nature is being reactive. In today’s world of 24/7 online existence your social media participation also needs to be ramped up. So once you begin to listen to your customers you can take the opportunity to join the discussion.

This way the customers would know that your brand is readily approachable giving the impression that they can seek your assistance regarding any queries or issues related to the brand. Taking part in social media discussions is a very profitable way of making a great impact on your target audience and gaining their invaluable trust and cooperation.

3. Cut through the clutter and reply fast
It is easier said than done but an effort has to be made to be specific in your response and being timely at the same time. There is too much content pollution on the social media channels and the bigger the brand, the bigger the customer base. Responding to everybody might not be possible but still, there are large brands which have taken social media interaction to an altogether new level. These brands are definitely reaping the rich dividends of not only listening to customer queries but replying to it in record time frames. All this ensures that the brand gets unprecedented PR and advertising without having to pay huge sums of money to traditional media channels.

4. Connect on a personal level
No other media channel allows brands to connect with their audience on such a personal level as the social media channel. It is possible to interact with your customers on a one-to-one basis consistently in order to take the relationship to an altogether new level. Today with the availability of analytical, social monitoring, social listening and social intelligence tools and apps it is possible for brands to monitor the social media channels and look for brand influencers and such other participants who can provide word of mouth publicity to the brand. Connecting with such individuals and entities can assist brands to make a big impact on the way people perceive the brand on the social media channels and also other places.

5. Reward loyalty and foster trust
Social media channels are the right platform to appreciate your customers and provide them the much-needed impetus and motivation for staying engaged with your brand. Using a combination of discount offers, coupons or such other related incentives can really spur your customers to buy from your brand and also to spread the word to friends and family.

There are powerful brands which have harnessed the true power of social media channels in order to make inroads into the customer’s mind to gain a bigger share of their wallet and the market share in general. All this makes the customers feel important and gives them a sense of belongingness within the large brand family.

Key Takeaway: if you are not thinking about customers then you are not thinking, was a quote from a wise man. It is more relevant than ever today. Social media affords brands both big and small to reach out to their customers, understand how they perceive the product, what are their pain points, their anxieties and gives brands a reliable channel to win the customer trust and garner customer delight on an unprecedented level. So investing in the right tools and strategies to keep customers happy on social media is a big part of marketing to your customers today.