Imagine this: an employee comes into the office on a Tuesday morning, logs into her computer, and finds that the software she relies on every day – your software – is experiencing a glitch. Unable to do her job, she uses the power of 140 characters to express her annoyance over #YourGlitchyProduct to her 5,000 followers. You see, she’s not just a customer – she’s a customer with social media influence. Within seconds, there are 5,000 opportunities for her frustration to get retweeted and shared among the Twittersphere.
If you’re not monitoring social media channels, this Unhappy Customer’s issue could balloon into a movement to boycott your company and could potentially result in lost business. While it’s impossible to control what people say about your company online, it is possible to be ready to respond to unhappy customers as soon as they hit that “Tweet” icon.
Left unanswered, Unhappy Customer’s tweet not only makes your company look bad; it also makes your company appear as though it’s not listening to its customers. If someone from your team is able to reach out, acknowledge this customer’s poor experience and take actionable steps to correct the issue, then it shows your company is listening to customers and is eager to help.
Alternatively, monitoring social media opens up a gateway of sales lead opportunities. According to Forrester Research, reliance on self-service channels increased to 76% in 2014 compared to 67% in 2012 – and social networks like Twitter are contributing toward those self-service efforts. Using social media monitoring tools like Microsoft Social Engagement makes it easier to listen in on how customers are using their networks to ask for feedback on your product or a competitor’s product. If your company is already on social media and is prepared with an arsenal of social selling tools like landing pages and product trials, then you have the opportunity to insert yourself into the conversation and potentially hook a sales lead. In fact, we recently had one such instance on our own Twitter channel!
Five Tips for Social Selling Success
Social media isn’t going anywhere. Year over year, it’s gaining power in how customers are expressing their joy or disappointment for your product and is becoming an increasingly influential tool to help customers make buying decisions. Tweets, wall posts and LinkedIn comments can gain instantaneous traction among communities that directly impact your company’s well-being. Therefore, it’s crucial to be listening in on conversations and monitoring your channels for opportunities to engage with your customers. With some refined search queries and a quick-witted community manager, that Unhappy Customer on a Tuesday could be transformed into your company’s biggest advocate!