Using Social Media Correctly

Social media isn't just about posting status updates, uploading photos, and sharing funny cat videos. Well, it kinda is, but social media for businesses and organizations is a little more than that. Businesses and organizations have to use social media in a way that's going to do several things: increase awareness, engage with users, ask for feedback, customer service, and properly promote their product or service.

Twitter and Facebook have become the 'Customer Services Center' for many major companies including JetBlue, Southwest Air, L.L. Bean, and Starbucks. 1 in 3 social media users prefer to reach out to a brand for customer service through social media channels than on the phone. Because 90% of upset customers can be retained with great customer service, it's important to be able to act quickly, effectively, and positively to satisfy and give the customer a positive and successful experience, and one way of doing this is via social media. 

Southwest's 'Nuts About Southwest' blog and Twitter channels have been very popular avenues for great customer service. Though Southwest is probably the most popular on social media among the airlines, JetBlue comes in as a close second. JetBlue incorporates humor and a little cleverness in their posts that makes reading their updates fun and entertaining.

Besides customers service, using social media is mostly about engagement. If you're not engaging, then what are you doing? Just posting information? Are people even reading it? One way to find out is to open up the discussion, ask for feedback, and invite readers to share their opinions and suggestions. If readers are responding and interacting, then that's probably a good sign of engagement. Readers want to feel connected to the brands they love, and one of the best ways of doing this is inviting them to the conversation. When announcing or updating a new product or service, asking the for the reader's feedback and reviews makes them feel heard and apart of the product and service process. 

Resources: 10 Steps to Brilliant Social Customer Service (infograph) http://www.sentimentmetrics.com/blog/2013/07/24/10-steps-to-brilliant-social-customer-service-infographic

Image: http://trendingdig.com/1-61-billion-users-social-media-channels-2013/