Wanting to share our thoughts and emotions is innate to human nature. Word-of-mouth marketing has been around way before the dawn of social media and continues to be one of the most effective marketing tools.
92% of
consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over other forms of advertising and social media has amplified the voice of the consumer.
One happy customer’s recommendation can reach hundreds to thousands of other potential customers giving individual opinions far greater value than ever before.
Let’s talk about how your business can empower word-of-mouth through social media.
Make a Connection
It is important to give customers a platform to voice their approval and opinions about your company’s products and services.
First, each business must determine which social media platform works best for their brand and audience, and integrate their social media into their website.
An absolute essential for any business is to have a Facebook business page. A customer can provide positive word-of-mouth with a single click and has the opportunity to do more by leaving a comment or submitting a review – all of which becomes instantly visible to all of their friends and anyone that comes across your page.
But having a social media integrated website, or a Facebook page is not enough.
Customers seek more than a place to vent their thoughts. They want a two-way conversation.
Build Relationships
The nature of social media allows companies to have a more personable relationship with its customers. This is where a little effort goes a long way.
Acknowledge a positive feedback with a like, a retweet, or a grateful comment and keep in mind that interactions should feel authentic to the customer.
Unfortunately, not all feedback can be positive. After all, you are dealing with people – and we all have our own opinion. But that’s ok. The negative feedback is just as important as the positive one.
Taking the time to direct a customer’s concerns and individual questions are key to building loyal relationships and can easily turn an unhappy customer into a happy one.
Give them Something To Talk About
What happens after you get a like or a great review? The relationship with the customer should not end there. To get the most out of social media, companies need to continuously create content that is engaging and relevant to their target audience. Providing quality content serves as a great incentive for customers to interact with you.
To do this you need to know who your audience is and what motivates them – whether that is informative blogs, humorous
animated video, or contests, to name a few.
Conclusion
The value of digital word-of-mouth lies in its authenticity and making the most out of this resource.
Providing the right channels and engaging content to connect with customers, and harvesting genuine relationships through excellent customer support can help grow your brand awareness and, ultimately, generate sales.
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