C O M M E N T I N G , R E S P O N D I N G & H AV I N G A C O N V E R S AT I O N

A T H R E E S T E P G U I D E T O C U S T O M E R O U T R E A C H :

Sophie Lair, McKenzie Boyle, Ashley Carter

The traditional face-to-face customer outreach is proving to be just as effective as social media interaction. Customers are more frequently leaning towards online purchases, research and communication. Implementing strong customer relations via social media can take a company from mediocre to a five star caliber.

Here are three steps to effectively interact with customers, build trust within your company and with your public and continue to monitor your brand - all through social media.

Following this three-step guide, smaller, startup companies can establish and further advance their existence on social media platforms. Simple yet effective changes to the ways your company interacts with current and potential customers will build crucial relationships with your publics and optimize customer engagement.

Introduction

Table of Contents

I. Using Social Media to Change Customer Service

II. Building Trust

III. Monitoring Your Brand Through Social Media

1 . S O C I A L M E D I A A S C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E

Social Media is the New 1-800 Number

No one has time to sit around on hold with a company. Social media enables customers to tweet or tag directly whether it be with a question or concern. They should expect a swift response on that platform. You can respond with a suggestion or answer, ask them to e-mail you, or have them call you. If the problem has to be solved on the phone or e-mail, make sure to get them to a direct line. This way they don’t have to go through the waiting process they were trying to avoid, originally.

Word of Mouth Marketing

People are going to be talking about you whether you’re there to hear it or not.

Customer reviews and customer advocacy are very important for your brand. If you engage with customers you’re likely to get more brand mentions.

– T H E C L U E T R A I N M A N I F E S T O

“Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in

a human voice.”

The most successful brands are the ones that are the most human. Social media is a great way to engage with your customers and show them that there are real people trying to solve their problems. A quick Twitter response, Instagram reply, or Facebook message that isn’t generic can dramatically enhance the customer’s experience.

Make sure you have the resources to do it correctly. It takes a long time to respond to all the mentions your company receives. Remember, consistency in social media customer service is key.

• Your brand has a voice, and it’s important to make sure all your employees understand and engage with customers appropriately.

• Employees must be comfortable with the prominent social media platforms your company uses in addition to engaging with customers directly and consistently.

• Response time! People use social media for the quick responses. Draft and send a response while the issue is still relevant.

Social Media Is Not Free

2 . B U I L D I N G T R U S T

With who?

• Customers (both current and potential)

• Employees

• General Public

C O N S I D E RWhat social media platforms are most important to our customers - What is your competitors’ two way

communication with the public?

What do we want to be known for - How are your competitors engaging on social media?

How do we want to treat people - employees, customers, and the public at large?

T H E P R O C E S SBegin with Managing 1-2 Social Networks • Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest (for merchandising companies)

Continue to Engage in Conversation • Host Twitter chats, unique social media campaigns &

respond to customers one-on-one

Provide a Memorable Service Experience • Examples: JetBlue, Nike, & Nordstrom

Be Passionate • Have a personality that portrays your serious interest

3 . M O N I T O R I N G Y O U R B R A N D T H R O U G H S O C I A L M E D I A

Be Involved In The DiscussionSocial media engagement is equally as imperative as direction. You must direct conversation and discussion in a way that you want to represent your company. This is not to say, however, that you should delete all negative insights presented by your publics. This prevents transparency and a trustworthy relationship between your company and your audience. Redirecting false statements with social media campaigns or Twitter conversations that portray you company correctly would be beneficial responses. This reforms the public’s outlook of your company while they also have the ability to compare their experience to the personal opinions of others.

*Remember the best way to respond to a social media crisis is by first launching a genuine apology. Redirect and continue to build trust from there.

C O M PA N Y B E L I E F S

-Employees should know the mission statement of your company and portray themselves accordingly

-Encourage employee discussion on social media between each other and with the public

The actions of your employees and customers reflect upon your brand. Because most individuals are on social media today, it is important the you company has a set of rules that must be followed and values that must be portrayed. By creating a set of values and following your mission statement, company members will have a solid understanding of how they should be portraying themselves on social media. You can’t always predict wrong doings, but you can prevent them. While you can not control how your publics will speak about your company, you can shape how your employees speak.

H AV E A P L A N

Negative interactions on social media are inevitable. In a sense, social media is a double-edged sword. You can easily connect with your publics while other social media users can spread negative sentiments about your company.

To respond to these situations appropriately it is important to be proactive. This means that you should create a plan prior to a social media crisis. Decide if you wish to be actively responsive or if you would rather release a statement, later. Whatever you choose, make sure employees are aware of the company’s course of action. This will allow your employees to respond quickly and effectively when social media distress arises.

U T I L I Z E Y O U R T O O L S

- Google Alerts: This application notifies you every time someone mentions your company. Google Alerts works well for headline news.

-Tweetalarm: An alert system that notifies you every time you are mentioned on Twitter. You can set keywords and receive updates when these keywords are tweeted.

-Topsy: Another great resource for Twitter specific updates. As a certified Twitter partner, it analyzes their index of tweets and allows users to search through tweets with a variety of filters like language, time, and geography.

-Hootsuite: This program allows you to manage all social media from one dashboard. This serves as a convenient aggregate of all social media for your company while also utilizing monitoring tools.

Consider These Media Tools

CONCLUSIONAfter you have outlined your plan for community outreach, you’re ready to launch your social media platforms. Make sure to consider your target audience when posting, uploading and updating each page. Emphasizing customer outreach is crucial to the success of the social media accounts. Build a trustworthy relationship your public by creating interaction and responding to each customer, directly. Solidify your brand by integrating your mission statement into your social media platforms on a regular basis. Take time to analyze your social media decisions - intend to lead a successful business.

Research and Background Accumulation

http://dendritepark.com/5-steps-to-build-trust-in-your-brand-with-social-media/#.VT61hkKd5UQ

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-build-trust-your-potential-customers-through-social-media

http://www.business2community.com/branding/7-tools-help-monitor-brand-better-online-0789207

http://www.tintup.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/wipeboard.png

https://cindymktg.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/google-alerts.jpg

http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/06/hootsuite-2200x800.png

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research/42-percent-of-consumers-complaining-in-social-media-expect-60-minute-response-time/