Deep down in the depths of your National Office almost certainly sits a large team of thoroughly overworked Customer Service Advisors – surrounded by multi-coloured tangled wires, uncomfortable headsets and the continuous sound of wait time notifications. If your business considers itself to have any semblance of technology then one of these begrudging basement dwellers may even be sat furiously replying to a customer query via Webchat or an independent ‘cost effective’ competitor. This worker bee will be continuously conscious of their team leaders’ persistence to answer direct messages as quickly as humanly possible.
Now, if your business also considers itself to be ‘forward thinking’, this individual may also be half-heartedly keeping an eye on any incoming Social Media messages – mirroring their lacklustre Webchat strategy across the businesses Facebook and Twitter DMs. This way of thinking, of treating Social Media as a fallacious inbound side project, is prevalent throughout the majority of companies – from small avant garde start-ups to massive market leading conglomerates. If this rings true in your workplace, you could be in real trouble.
Up until the last year or so Social has either been used as a broadcasting channel or an inbound customer service tool – where businesses shout about how fantastic their products or services are, in-between apathetically directing inquisitive Social Media using customers to ‘give them a call’ instead. With engagement plummeting across all Social platforms, due in no small part to the platforms themselves turning to a more monetised agenda (I’m looking at you Facebook) businesses are stingily waking up to the realisation that people can only take so much one way dialogue before they switch off (or hit the unfollow button) and it now takes truly unique campaigns, consistent Social customer service and unique marketing ideas to reach and resonate with your customers.
With the further strong restrictions of GDPR, businesses are starting to realise, finally, that Social is the Polyfilla for their metaphorical cracked wall. The one-way nature of inbound Social marketing mixed with robotic customer responses are a sure way to find your businesses Social presence dead in the water, at a time when your company could be heavily reliant on one.
If your business isn’t directly looking to use Social Media to reach out to potential customers and create sincere, personal relationships then I’m afraid to tell you you’re already playing catch up. That isn’t to say broadcasting on Social is inherently a bad idea but if its your businesses only idea then you’re completely misusing the greatest marketing tool currently available to you.
It’s taken the implementation of GDPR for the industry to wake up and smell the hypothetical coffee. Whilst spray and pray marketing was being dragged off to the gallows kicking and screaming, and e-mail Marketing contemplated its final meal, a small plethora of truly ‘forward thinking’ businesses have leapfrogged the potential marketing apocalypse that is GDPR compliance and have started to create worthwhile and meaningful relationships with its customers using Social as a personal acquisition and, more importantly, retention tool.
You wouldn’t stand in the street with a placard screaming about how fantastic your motor insurance policies are, neither would you tell someone to give you a call if they walked in to your shop, so why is this behaviour acceptable on Social? This attitude shift is a monumental positive – for the consumer and the business – whether they like it or not. Businesses are forced to do the heavy lifting for the consumer by curating and personalising their messages, offerings and overall sales approach to individual users. Their new approach is to be more approachable…
What I’ve just told you isn’t particularly radical or revolutionary but sometimes it takes saying the obvious out loud for it to resonate among shareholders and managers. This attitude shift could completely change your businesses brand image, Social Media strategy and overall level of customer acquisition for the better. Try being more conversational on Social, because any business that isn’t treating Social as a conversational tool or theimperative cog in their marketing wheel will be thoroughly left behind.
Matt Adkin 