When potential customers are looking for a recommendation, they no longer ask a friend, they ask Google, Facebook, Yelp, or another social platform. COVID-19 has caused the trend towards e-commerce to increase at an even more rapid pace. These habits are unlikely to go away when COVID does, as a recent survey found that Gen X and Boomers online purchases have grown on average by 50% or more over the holiday season, while over 30% have messaged businesses online. Today, it’s practically a must for businesses of all sizes in order to develop, grow, and maintain customer relationships.

When managed correctly, social media is a great way to increase brand awareness and generate new business – or – when done poorly (or not at all), it can hurt your company. Customer service is cyclical and requires businesses to interact and assist customers before, during, and after a sales opportunity. It can be easy to only consider face-to-face interactions or phone conversations as the primary means of enhancing customer satisfaction and improving their overall experience. However, if you are seeking to meet and exceed the expectations of your clients, improving your social media customer service can be an effective tool.

Creating content that matters to your customers is perhaps the most obvious, but also the most challenging part of increasing your business’ social media reach. This can be difficult when you are in an industry that doesn’t easily lend itself to photos of models laying on a beach. This is why it’s important to understand your ideal customer and their preferred platform. What are their likes and dislikes? What type of information do they care about? What are they looking for when they are on social media? Being personal and creating a brand identity is important to give customers a reason to invest in your business. Many social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others, offer free resources to identify trends and develop quality content across industries.

Many businesses don’t want to invest in social media management, because they feel its yet another thing eating up time in their day. However, if you have an existing marketing or customer service strategy, it can be easy to tailor your content to your social media audience. Sites like Facebook and Instagram are very image and video dominant in the type of content viewers seek and in how their algorithms support content. Uploading a quick photo, or live video, of what your team is working on is a great way to engage with potential clients and takes only a few moments. These little ‘check-ins’ allow customers to engage with you on a platform that they know and are comfortable using. When actively managed, social media can be a great way to develop the strong human connections that we all crave.

Customer service at its core is defined by how well you meet the needs of your customers, and if you are able to consistently meet or exceed their needs. One of the primary ways to improve customer service in your day-to-day operations is to be available when and where your customer needs you. For example, your customer gets home late and remembers the appointment they have been forgetting to make. At that late hour they are unlikely to make a call, but would be willing to send an email, write a message on social media, or post a question in a live chat. If your business is able to capture leads’ attention at the moment they are actively looking for your product or services, you can dramatically increase the likelihood of creating a new customer relationship.

A lot of businesses shy away from creating a presence on social media in fear of poor reviews or the “name and shame” posts of a dissatisfied customer. It’s important to look at those less than satisfied customers as an opportunity to address the issue publicly. You may not have a repeat customer, but you might be able to find a middle ground that doesn’t leave a bad taste in your or the commenter’s mouth. Future customers are watching and responding to negative comments. Rather than ignoring them, it can be a great way to show that you are willing to go above and beyond to provide excellent service to even the most cantankerous of customers. If you are worried about managing information about your business online, a great starting point is to connect Google Search Console to your business website. Once you have verified ownership of your site, look under the External Links section of the Links tab. There you can find where other websites are linking to your home page and see what information already exists about your business online.

According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Chamber of Commerce,  71% of small business owners hope to attract new business through the use of social media. However, how many of those businesses are actively monitoring their social media platforms when inquiries come in? As much as you may want to use social media to attract customers to your website, many leads would rather contact you through their preferred social media platform. At WESP Communications, LLC, we ensure that all customer touchpoints are covered by our friendly, trained staff. Our services ensure that your customers’ experience is standardized across all lines of communication. Learn more about how we can develop a customized solution to meet your budget needs and business goals. Call us today and make it as easy as possible for your leads to choose you over the competition!