Social media can be a great ally for consolidating a brand or growing an online business. Today brands and companies are closer than ever to their followers and customers thanks to the variety of social media channels available. As a result, customers expect more personalized attention, and in return those followers can become a valuable source of information to help improve the online store’s products and services.
Don’t waste time: make the most of feedback
Many companies have a Facebook page or Instagram profile that has been completely neglected, with countless unanswered comments or messages on their timelines. This is a bad practice that must be eliminated, as failing to interact consistently with followers can even be harmful and damage the brand image.
Brand image on social media is more important every day, and looking after it should be a key part of any online communication and marketing strategy. It matters so much that many of a brand’s customers become loyal followers across all its social networks, answering others’ questions, sharing experiences with the brand and even promoting it on other social channels.
All thanks to personalized attention and feedback that benefits both sides. A company that asks its followers questions and shows it cares becomes a company with added value, earning commitment from its followers.
Feedback = Loyalty
Competition is fierce across every eCommerce sector today, and standing out from competitors is becoming one of the keys to winning more sales.
Many will ask: Fine, but what does feedback have to do with customer loyalty?
It’s simple: a company that listens to its customers becomes a company able to improve and satisfy them, and customers feel heard and cared for. A customer who feels supported will keep buying from that online store and won’t feel the need to look elsewhere.
Ever since online stores appeared, buying through a website was seen as a cold transaction with no personal interaction. That’s why, from the start, online shoppers have valued personalized service, order tracking and the company getting in touch if any problem arises, but above all, getting an immediate, effective response from the company to any question or comment via social media, email or phone.
We live in the age of now: we want accurate, complete information about products and services in a short time. Playing the card of providing quality information, listening to our followers and giving them the best information can be one of the deciding factors that set us apart from the competition.
Strategies to get feedback from our followers
A customer who responds with comments, likes or joins the conversation becomes a loyal customer, identifying with the brand and taking part in everything it does on social media. And, importantly, they can become an advocate for our brand in different spheres: social networks, family, friends and so on.
We can follow a series of strategies to encourage feedback on our social profiles and improve communication between both sides:
- Listen and interact: listening is as important as interacting. Staying alert, following conversations and paying attention to comments on different social platforms can give us valuable insight into how customers receive the products we offer.
- Know your target audience: if we know who our products are for, we can give them the best information about what we offer. Letting users share their opinions, both on social media and in the online store itself, is a feedback exercise that benefits both sides, because one of the deciding factors every user considers before buying online is what other customers who bought the product think.
- Know what’s being said about our brand online: we should always know what is being said about the brand on other social channels such as forums, blogs or social networks. This valuable information helps strengthen the brand image and prevent future crises or awkward situations.
- Know how to handle a crisis: a technical problem on the website or an administrative issue can lead to a complaint posted on the company’s page for all users to see. Managing a fast, effective response is essential to help dissatisfied customers and improve the brand image.
- Always be present: updating social networks daily shows followers that the company is constantly paying attention to everything happening on social media, especially its own channels. This is very important, as it is closely tied to building customer trust, which will later be reflected in website conversions.
Any self-respecting online business must know its customers, know how to reach them, listen to them and, above all, provide the best answers to their questions. Today an online store must lean on social networks and turn them into true social communication channels.
At Trilogi we know how important social networks are for online businesses today and the opportunities they create, as with Brutalzapas.com. By managing client accounts on channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we see firsthand the opinions, questions and comments of brand followers. Extremely valuable information that helps us create valuable, productive content for our clients.
We’re looking for the best positive influence, so do you think it’s important to encourage feedback on your social networks?
