Here
are eight wonderful advantages it can grant your business
It
is said that the work of a marketer is never done. I agree. And if you are a
social media marketer, this applies more so. Social media never sleeps. There
is always a prospective customer or a potential connection out there. This can
be both a boon and a bane. On one hand, you have an ocean of leads waiting to
be tapped into, 24/7. On the other, they cannot wait forever.
To
do justice to this vast resource at his fingertips, a smart marketer needs to
do more than just writing on the blog or tweeting and sharing on Facebook. He
needs to actively engage in social communities and build a connection. Here is
why it is important.
Identifying
customer needs
A
happy customer will talk. An unhappy customer will talk so much more. These
customers need not be yours specifically and can easily belong to your
competitor. Quite apart from seeing them as prospective leads, you can use
their experience to find out exactly what your customer/target audience is
looking for. Knowledge is power. And what better way than to get it directly
from the horse’s mouth? A better understanding of your customer’s requirements
will help you engage them better and cater to their requirements with ease.
Design/tweak
your product
Is
there one specific feature everyone needs? That’s the next update you can roll
out. Do they want better customer support? Well, you know what you can improve
now. Will they be happier with a more premium product, consider introducing
changes in the pricing, and so on.
The
views openly shared on any community are the most transparent and honest
opinions you can come across. Not only will they help you form an objective
opinion of what is out there in the market, it will show you exactly where you
stand with respect to others in your business and how your customers view you.
Learning
about the competition
Know
thyself. But know your competition even better. And no, this is not cheating –
it’s staying ahead of the game. Recognising the biggest pain points the customers
have with your competition can become your golden goose. Not only can you
modify the product to meet those requirements, it can also serve as an
inspiration for your next email campaign.
Getting
in on the conversation
Do
you know the biggest advantage of a social community? The almost non-existent
barriers. And these will not be like the cold e-mails you send out that never
get opened or even delivered. These people have a different mindset. They are
out there, discussing, unlike your e-mail recipients. And, when you become a
part of the conversation, you have their attention. This brings down the
previous challenge of contacting and engaging a prospect rather drastically.
Reaching
the lurkers
Now,
we all have those friends on Facebook who don’t comment or like posts, but use
it just the same to find out what’s happening. There are lurkers on your
website and social communities as well. These invisible readers are researching
and forming an opinion. They are looking at all the available options and are
being very cautious before they make up their minds. If they see you engaging,
and contributing positively to their community, you become a very viable option
for them.
Referral
marketing
As
a community and as individuals, we tend to trust the people we know. That is,
if your friend likes a product, you will be a lot more willing to try it. Your
prospective customer is no different.
And
he, instead of trusting you or the testimonials you have put on your website,
might be a lot more inclined to trust that of another peer who has had a
similar use case as his. So where does he meet this peer? Why, at that online
community, of course! It’s imperative for you to be present there as well to
get a better pulse of the whole situation.
Building
the brand image
So,
where do you think all your unhappy customers go? To referral hell? No! They
also frequent these communities to have a good long vent about how unhappy and
dissatisfied they are with your product. You can be sure that your prospective
customer will be reading that long unhappy rant as well. In fact, this could be
that one thing that might help make or break his mind. So how do you save the
day? Why, you swoop in and reply to what he has posted! You humbly apologise
for the inconvenience caused and explain why exactly it did not work. Bonus
points to you if you can nail the reason and describe the scenario in which it
could work better! You can even offer them an extended trial, or an added
benefit to woo them back.
Becoming
a thought leader
Well,
with a big brand name under your wing, what do you think is going to happen
with you frequently churning out a good number of quality posts, comments and
updates? You become an automatic thought leader! You become an authority on
that subject and people turn to your expertise (your posts and comments) before
reaching their own conclusions. It is indeed an enviable position to reach. And
is the greatest advantage that a solid online presence on social communities
can grant you.
Quick
tip: Remember to post as an individual and not as an organisation. However, be
transparent about where you work and how
exactly you are connected to the
particular company.
Source | Business Line | 16 October 2015
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