Importance of Customer Relationships on Social Media

Background vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com

by Katherine White, Guest Contributor

Consumers form opinions around a brand based on the interactions they have with them. These interactions are no longer limited to an in-person experience at a store or on your website. Social media now plays a significant role in building customer relationships and the public perception that those have towards your brand. It should no longer be seen as just another tool to display advertisements, it’s a source for your business to connect with your customers.
​

---

---

Consumers Do Business With Brands They Know and Trust 
Social media is an opportunity to get to know your customers and lure in potential customers. The more your brand interacts with its audience, the greater their trust in your business will grow. Utilize social platforms as an outlet to connect with your customers responding to questions and concerns. Reviews are essential to buildingtrust, potential customers want to see that past customers have had a positive experience working with your brand. If your customers are reaching out to you on social media regarding their purchase, it’s crucial that you respond. Not only is it important to tend to those customers, but your response is in the public-eye and others want to see how you interact. 

Authenticity 
Consumers want to associate themselves with brands that are authentic. Social media is a great platform to showcase your brand's personality. Social media is not a platform that users necessarily go on to shop, so they don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements. It’s mainly used as a form of entertainment and communication with others. “Establish your brand voice and ensure it’s consistent, it should sound human and accurately represent your brands' mission and values,” says Garret Seevers, VP of Marketing at Azuga. Consumers are looking for businesses that are genuine and human. Listen to your audience as opposed to speaking down to them and analyze what content is receiving the most engagement. 

Engagement & Knowledgeable 
Social media will give you a chance to engage with your audience in a creative way. It’s always a great way to showcase how knowledgeable you are with a certain topic as well or build thought leadership in an industry. Running a successful business in a competitive industry is hard enough, companies need to believe they will be able to outdo their competition with their high-level expertise. Social media is a great way to help articulate your wealth of knowledge. 

User-generated content is an impactful way to engage with viewers. Content doesn't always have to be photos with a long description. Viewers are more receptive to a variety of platforms. Something as simple as making a quick video tutorial can go a long way. Video content can be easily created with a smartphone, good lighting, and minor editing. It helps humanize your brand to create stronger relationships with your customers.  

Brand Authority 
By addressing your customers online, consumers will instill a positive image of your brand. Many marketing experts assume building up brand authority can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. Building up a community of strong followers is the first step to creating strength and loyalty in numbers. Marketers need to build trust behind their brand by staying current with their customers on social media channels, providing excellent customer service, and maintaining lasting relationships. Providing valuable up-to-date insight into your brand will allow your brand to be more trustworthy. Also, including informative tutorials with simple ‘how to’s’ will encourage customers to invest more into the message behind the brand. Keep the direct line of communication open with shoppers and potential clients. Always address questions publicly, because you could be clarifying a multitude of similar questions at once which ends up saving you a ton of time while still being transparent. 

Customer Satisfaction
Social media is another outlet for customers to send their feedback. Customers appreciate having the opportunity to reach out regarding your business. Connecting with your customers when they experience issues and have questions will ultimately increase customer satisfaction. You have the capability to turn a negative experience into a positive one with the use of social media. Do your best to monitor the conversation around your brand on social media and respond to both positive and negative feedback in a timely manner. Responding to negative feedback may have the potential to mend the relationship. Wunderman released a study that reported 79 percent of customers want brands that show they understand and care about them prior to making a purchase. Remember to take responsibility for mistakes, they do happen and as long as you recognize your mistakes, customers will be more likely to forgive. 

Having a social media presence isn’t enough to build customer relationships. If you’ve only utilized social media for promotion purposes, it’s time to shift your perspective and create a new strategy. Create a checklist that includes each tactic you plan to utilize in order to tackle your new social media plan. Social media can be a powerful marketing tool if it’s used effectively. Create valuable content for your audience, take feedback seriously and treat your audience as real individuals. 

Author bio:

Katherine White writes articles for businesses that want to explore different marketing strategies. Currently, she is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and a digital marketing expert for local brands. Her educational background in Public Relations helps her tackle topics regarding strategy, branding and messaging.

---