Keeping up Appearances: Social Media Guide
I have often spoken to business owners who very proudly tell me that they're "all sorted on social media." To which I reply: "Great! So, how do you manage your social channels?" And the conversation goes on with an explanation of how pictures are posted every now and then, some content is shared once in a while and some even venture into paid advertising. My question now is - How do you keep up appearances on social media?
In this blog post, I won't go into the merits of having a social media strategy. You can read more about that, here. I want to focus on keeping up appearances! Having great images, videos and content is a great place to start from. However, your commitment to social media has to go beyond that.
I don't know about you, but I have often needed information from companies, and the first thing I do is check if they are present on social media. If they aren't, I tend to move to the next best company. If they are, I send a message with my question through the social media page itself. At this point, I'd be hoping to receive a reply within hours, if not minutes...But I don't (most of the time)! I either never get a reply or I get it days later when it's too late.
This is where your commitment to social media has to go above and beyond content. This is where you keep up your appearances. You may have a great Facebook or Instagram page, but the moment you ignore a customer's message, comment, review, or complaint, is the moment you start losing loyal customers to competitors who have raised their game.
So, here's how you can use social media to improve customer service in 3 simple steps:
1. Don't use social media for selling purposes only: brand awareness is as important as selling.
2. Pay attention to messages or comments on your page. Reply as soon as possible!
3. Don't hide negative comments or reviews. It's much better to resolve the issue professionally as new customers will appreciate this.
If you've committed to having a presence on social media (as you should!), you need to commit to giving 100% excellent customer service just like when a customer calls or comes to your premises.
If managing social media is a struggle for you, don't worry! We can give you the right tools and support to make sure your social channels give you the ROI you're looking for. Contact us on lynne@bailogik.com or bernice@bailogik.com for a free consultation.