How many social media accounts do you have right now? More than one, isn’t it? As technology advances, so is our openness to integrate social media in our daily activity. One social media account is not enough anymore as we want to be more exposed to information and interact with companies in different ways. What is more, if we think from a business perspective, it becomes pretty clear that the customer service industry has started to play an important role and is becoming highly competitive. Customers are more demanding nowadays and they expect a resolution to their problems extremely fast. Furthermore, it is very easy to possess knowledge today which gives customers more power than before. Now, you cannot play games and trunk the information, hoping that your clients won’t notice it. Everything is at one click distance and it is just a matter of time for them to figure out the game you try to play.
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This has brought businesses to the stage when they need to be omnipresent and provide flawless customer experience on all channels if they want to stand out of the crowd. Whether the customer is shopping using a desktop or mobile device, via telephone or while going to your bricks and mortar store, he needs an integrated customer experience. This is what omnichannel marketing is all about. If you want your omnichannel strategy to work, you need to integrate an engaging mobile marketing, an amazing social media campaign, and a top-notch website. It’s like in marriage. You can’t have one without the other.
Why Social Media Is a Key Part of Omnichannel Customer Experience
Michele Williams, a marketing manager at Resumes Centre shares: “When I think of retail shopping, it has changed dramatically over the past years. People will no longer just go to the mall and spend hours going from one shop to the other to buy a gift. They will do their own research before and check on social media for reviews and know already the available deals. Therefore, I strongly believe that omnichannel customer experiences need to integrate social media if they want to be successful. Everything happens on social media nowadays which means that business owners should acknowledge the power this tool has for their customers.”
1. Social media helps you offer amazing customer service
When you develop an omnichannel marketing strategy, you know very well that you must meet your customers’ expectations and provide the highest possible standards. Social media is part of your customers’ lives. Thus, you should use it for your own benefit. Usually, when a potential customer enters on your website, he will immediately look for the Facebook or Instagram button. Even though you display your products on your website, customers will also check your social media account. They will check the pictures your brand was tagged or browse in your photos gallery to see different perspectives of your product.
What is more, whenever your customers want to ask a question about your products or website, it will become easier for them to use social media. Considering that everyone spends many hours on social media every day, it will become more convenient to contact you on social media instead of browsing on your website and find the contact page. Just thinking of a situation like this, it becomes clear that social media is a key part of the omnichannel customer experience, and it enables businesses to offer amazing customer service, irrespective of their niche.
2. Social media helps you build trust
If you are not on social media, you don’t exist. Whenever customers hear about a new product, the first thing they do is check for the company on social media. They will immediately go to the reviews section and start reading what others say about the brand and products.
Social media helps you build trust and make customers loyal to the brand. It is not enough to offer an amazing website which works great on mobile as well. People will try to reach you in different ways and social media is one of the handiest methods they use today. Therefore, your multichannel customer experience needs to take social media seriously and offer a seamless interaction with your clients via this tool also. If your customers have a problem, don’t redirect them to your website to give them more details. Show that you are close to them and have a social media expert team who can provide support 24/7 and handle any questions with maximum responsibility.
This is how San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant replied to a negative feedback by one of their customers on their official Facebook page:
3. Social media helps improve brand awareness
Studies show that customers, generation Z in particular, will like a brand better which offered them a seamless customer interaction, rather than a better price. Therefore, it is the experience which makes the difference for them, and not the price they have to pay for that product or service. What is more, social media becomes one of the most direct channels of communication for the digital generation. This means that social media should be part of your omnichannel customer experience as it will help you increase your brand’s visibility.
Social media opens direct channels of communication. Customers love to share their experiences and talk about the products they tried. The service “Weight Watchers” is a great example of this. They are a community of like-minded people who use social media to share their experiences, find updates about their favorite products, and get answers to their questions. This is a clear example of how social media can increase brand visibility, at half the price of other traditional marketing methods.
Final Thoughts
Once your customers notice that you take social media seriously and put efforts into replying promptly and solving their problems in a professional manner, the results won’t take long to come. Loyal customers mean increased sales and profits. What is more, satisfied customers are the biggest promoters for any business. Social media makes it easier to deliver amazing customer experience. You cannot talk about omnichannel customer experience if you don’t include social media interaction also. Social media’s potential is infinite. From increasing your brand awareness to breaking cultural and linguistic barriers, it can play an essential role both in your business development, but also in your customers’ lives.
Author’s Bio: James Scott is an independent blogger and a marketing consultant to small businesses. He is especially passionate about team building and management, having run Best College Service for a number of years.