2 Words To Improve Your Social Customer Service

A strange thing just happened……………….

That’s a good opening line, straight out of “50 Great Opening Lines For Your Blog”.

Anyway, a strange thing did just happen. I started to write this blog and came across one written by Ian Anderson Gray entitled:-

Stop Saying Thank You on Social Media & Say Something Meaningful!

He had based this on a similar blog by Mark Schaefer who is probably the Social and Marketing expert I respect more than any other. However, on this subject I have to disagree with the great man.

Saying “Thank You” is easy, just two little words that take but a second to say and type but to the recipient can make all the difference.

I always say it has never been easier to provide gold-standard customer service using Social communication. Conversely you could argue it has never been easier to get it wrong, and business and organisations do, time and time again.

Part of a successful customer service strategy is some appreciation when a customer or stakeholder does something which benefits you as the service provider. One of the great parts of Social Marketing is the ability to turn customers, clients and supporters into “Brand Ambassadors”. Those people who will fly the flag for you on the Social web, extol your qualities and if you’ve really built a solid relationship with them, defend you when you’ve received negativity.

Think of saying “thank you” as a deposit into your “Goodwill” account. Each time you are appreciative of an act of Social interaction and engagement the account grows richer. The benefit here is that when you need to deal with a troublesome situation you can withdraw from this “Goodwill” account and hopefully resolve it to everyone’s satisfaction.

According to a 2014 study published in the “Emotion” publication thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship. Isn’t that the whole premise of Social communication? To develop strong and long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.

When I was managing a team of people in the radio business I tried to pass some of the customer service practices I had developed. One of these was taking time at the end of the day to respond to anyone who had engaged with me during the day if I hadn’t the chance to already do so. It took a matter of minutes but it kept the “Goodwill” account topped up. In my case it helped me become the most listened to commercial radio presenter in Wales for the best part of a decade.

Of course “Thank You” can be just that, two little words said in appreciation of an act or comment. It can also be more than that:

A positive comment on a blog

A comment or a share on another Social platform

An endorsement of your expertise on LinkedIn

A testimonial for your website or YouTube channel

A review of a product or service

And so it goes………..

I thoroughly recommend an excellent on this subject. It’s “The Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuck. It describes how social media has changed the way we do business and how consumers want to be appreciated for their business. By expressing your gratitude towards them online publicly shows that you do care.

It’s well worth a read.

And er….by the way……thank you for reading.

Do You Use Social In Your Recruitment Process?

This time we’re talking about using Social Media in the recruitment process and there are a number of aspects in the search for new staff that your digital channels can help with.

Let’s start with the use of Social platforms as a way to research background information on applicants, in my opinion a perfectly legitimate tactic. I have spoken to young people about how their digital footprint may affect employment opportunities in the future and in some instances find they feel it an imposition and an unfair practice. I think this is a modern mindset of a generation who deem it normal to publish their life online without the thought for protecting their privacy yet feel somehow hard done by when told that some aspects of their content could be detrimental to future prospects.

Using digital platforms to garner extra info on applicants is no different to what used to happen when businesses I’ve worked for discovered that a member of staff knew or had worked with an applicant for a current vacancy. You would ask their opinion of the person in question and would take that assessment of their positives and negatives into account.

Why wouldn’t you?

It should be noted however that employers be aware of context and time when carrying out checks on a candidate’s Social channels as both are important aspects to take into account. There is also the responsibility to follow legal guidelines on discriminating unfairly against a candidate after discovering information about them online.

It is worth noting the success that international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has achieved using their Social channels, primarily LinkedIn, for recruitment. This is despite not setting up a LinkedIn channel until 2014. The company reported that their first recruitment ad on that platform saved them £10,000 in recruitment fees followed by a further £200,000 saving over the next 6 months.

They saw a 400% increase in followers over the same time and now use LinkedIn as their primary recruitment channel. This the reward for focussing on a site where they knew the talent of the future was looking to make contacts for future reference and employment.

Research carried out last year by Recruitment Box found that in 2010, 78% of recruiters were using LinkedIn to find candidates. 5 years later that percentage had risen to 95%. Similarly, 2010 saw just 14% of recruiters posting jobs on Twitter, it has also climbed to 95%. The potential for employee referrals on Twitter has also risen from 16% in 2010, to 93% in 2015.

This is an area that recruiters clearly see as very beneficial to finding the right candidate for their vacancies with 70% of them saying that they plan to increase their investment in social recruiting.

As with every aspect of Social interaction the base of it all is communication, a two way process. While you may be using your Social channels to advertise for and vet future employees, those people are also looking at your business and how your digital platforms represent you.

A company’s “talent brand” is being spoken of more and more of late. This is how their mission statement, vision and corporate culture are perceived on the social web. This plays a significant part in reducing a business’ hire costs and its ability to attract quality candidates. You can keep on top of this by ensuring that your Social channels portray a consistent business message in words, pictures or both.

You should make an effort to foster a workforce of “Brand Ambassadors”. Encourage your staff to talk about their positive experience of life at work on their own social channels, while also sharing the business’ content and success stories. According to a 2014 survey from Monster, 65% of respondents would consider an opportunity for a new job if they learned about it from a personal connection.

It has never been easier for businesses and organisations to build an exciting, vibrant image for themselves in the digital world and the more ways you can find to keep your Social platforms full of interesting, positive content the better when you are searching for new talent.

Taking A Chance With Your Content

One of the terrific things about Social communication is that, by and large, it’s live and in-the-moment. It’s a shared experience but 1-2-1 at the point of delivery which makes it personal and exciting. I love the immediacy of it and the ability to become part of a conversation or a debate within seconds, leading you to…..who knows where.

We sometimes get so wrapped up in making sure we’re on the most effective platforms, that our content is as creative and relevant as it can be, it’s planned and scheduled according to our content calendar that it’s easy to forget how interesting and rewarding in can be just to “try something”.

I know why this is, or at least I think I do.

When you read about, or listen to someone talk about Social communication and interaction it’s a reasonable assumption that they have come from a marketing background. It’s been a very natural progression for marketers to move into Social as it’s a perfect fit into any marketing strategy.

However, marketers, I would dare to suggest come with a different mindset to someone, oh I don’t know, like me. It’s simply down to where our communication experience has come from.

My three decades in broadcasting have enabled me to create enormous amounts of content, I like to think most of it worked for me, but the law of averages suggests that some of it didn’t. It sounded like a good idea in my head, seemed okay in rehearsal, but when the red light came on and it was released to the world something happened and it didn’t live up to expectations.

What did I think when this happened?

IT DOESN’T MATTER

Simple as that. That is not to say I didn’t care about what I was doing, of course I did. It was simply that in a “live” situation I knew that in a few moments time I could create another piece of content which might fly. That’s the mindset I don’t think those who have a traditional marketing background  have.

This is why Social is so great, you are in that situation. It’s live broadcasting and you get the chance to just “try stuff”. If it doesn’t work then you just create another piece of content and fire that out.

As a business or organisation you will have a Social plan or strategy, you will know which platforms represent what you do best and which ones fit the content you have to offer. You will have looked at your analytics to see when and where you content gets most traction and engagement. I should say at this point if none of the above apply to you, you need to contact me we can put it right.

Having a cohesive Social plan is vital but there is no reason why from time to time you can experiment with your content. You will obviously know the style risks you can take but just having the freedom to have an idea and put it out there in seconds is very exciting.

When you think “I’d love to try that”………..TRY IT.

Are You Content With Your Content?

You may have a number of social channels on the go, they may be picking up some decent traction but are you satisfied with how they are performing for your business?

Are you content with your content?

It’s a question worth asking yourself, maybe as part of your main Social Media strategy sessions or perhaps as a regular housekeeping function.

Whatever you are publishing, whether it’s mostly text based, photos, videos, other visuals, a mixture of everything, it is all content. Every single thing you create and send out into the social arena.

I’ve put together a small checklist that may help you to assess your current content.

1) IS YOUR CONTENT SUITABLE FOR THE PLATFORM IT’S ON

You may have a handful of social outlets for your business, each one will require a different approach. Twitter gives you the chance to create short to the point tweets which grab attention or point your follower to another location (your website, other social channel or link to content you want to share). Facebook helps you to go into more depth with the opportunity to add a visual to your status and to start conversation threads with your fans and customers. Pinterest is an excellent way of curating quality visuals as well as being able to provide links to other sites and content. Instagram is more “in the moment” and may suit your business perfectly.

2) DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

You may have settled on a few platforms which you are happy with but something new will come along all the time. If you think a new platform that one of your staff or your Consultant suggests might work, try it. You have nothing to lose. If it takes off add it to your social portfolio to strengthen your digital toolkit. If it doesn’t, delete the account and move on.

3) THINK FOR A MINUTE

When you’ve created some content, stop for a moment and listen for the voice in your head. Sometimes it will ask you a question.

“Do you think that’s suitable content?”

In my experience if you have to stop and think about publishing content you probably shouldn’t. That little voice in your head is nearly always right.

4) BE HUMAN

It’s okay to use your social platforms to give your business a human face and personality; in fact that’s what they’re great for. Of course you have to strike the right tone but you should know what that is. It may take a little practice at first but it will pay dividends. People expect their social interaction to personable and human; the businesses who are using social most effectively understand this.

5) KNOW WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

If you are on top of your social analysis and metrics then you will know the types of content which give you the best engagement. You will be able to discover the times and days when your content ignites and this information will help you plan your content creation and publication each week. Of    course the beauty of social is being spontaneous but having a catalogue of detailed analysis will be the backbone to your function.

6) IS YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE GOLD STANDARD?

Your social platforms will now be the first port of call for many of your customers or clients if they have a problem. It is so much easier to call into a Facebook page and post a comment than searching out a website for a contact number or e-mail address.

I’ve always maintained that “Gold Standard” customer service shouldn’t be a target, it should be the norm. It is so easy to use your Social Media outlets to provide excellent customer service and that doesn’t mean waiting for something to go wrong before you engage and interact.

Just saying “thank you” when you get a positive comment will mean more to your customer than you think.

7) IS YOUR AUDIENCE CONTENT WITH YOUR CONTENT?

If your followers, fans and customers are not getting enough from your content to engage with it then that’s all you need to know that your content strategy is not working.  Social is sometimes hit and miss and it takes time to find your voice. The big advantage about social broadcasting is that if a piece of content doesn’t work for you, take note, understand the reasons why and try something else.

8) BE TOPICAL

If your Social strategy includes a content calendar then you won’t miss opportunities to tie in topical issues or events to your business. I feel that businesses and organisations whose social content shows their followers that they are tapping into relevant issues and stories stand out from the crowd. Of course that same approach also increases the amount of content you can create for your platforms.

Oh finally, if your Social strategy doesn’t include content calendar, it really should.

Why Should I Hire A Social Media Consultant?

Social Media is now such an integral part of life and business that many companies and organisations believe they can steer their way through their digital communication platforms in the same way their employees and managers use it for their personal uses.

Of course using Social Media in business needs to be more strategic and measured while still maintaining the personal aspect of being “social”. This is where a good Consultant can help steer you and your content in the right direction.

I have identified several areas in which your Consultant can work with you to make your communication channels give you improved results.

IMPARTIALITY

Hiring a Consultant gives you the opportunity to have your Social Media usage audited and assessed by someone who doesn’t have a personal or emotional attachment to the content. If you’re involved in the day-to-day business then it’s easy to become so close to it that you can’t see the wood for the trees, sometimes you can’t even see the trees – we’ve all been in that position. Your Consultant will give you a new perspective through fresh eyes based on his or her experience.

One of my favourite parts of the job is looking at a client’s content for the first time, you never know what you’re going to find.

STRATEGY

One of the great misnomers of Social Media is that all you have to do is set up a few channels, stick some content on them and everything will be great, customers will start coming out of the woodwork and before you know it you’ll need an extension on the extension.

A social strategy is essential to identify the platforms on which you need to be active, the sort of content you have to offer and the ways in which you can make what you have to say stand out from the crowd.

Very often the first question I ask in a consultation is the most difficult question of the day to answer.

“What do you do that makes you different to every other business?”

It’s surprising how long it sometimes takes to identify the answer/s to that question but once you know what makes your business special we can work on the rest of the strategy.

CONTENT

Oh man we love content, we say the word at least a hundred times a day and if we don’t we get a headache on the way home. Your Consultant will help you identify the content you can “ignite” to make your social effort stronger and more successful.

I’ve heard from some people that they’re in the “wrong type of business” to use Social Media. This is another fallacy, there is no such thing. Every business or organisation has something they do which they can turn into digital content for their platforms of choice.

Very often companies and individuals don’t realise how much content they have to offer and it’s often this which holds them back from using social channels as they feel they have nothing to contribute to the conversation.

EXPERIENCE

It almost goes without saying that your Consultant will know more about Social Media usage and communication than you do. That’s why you’ve hired them in the first place.

Of course anyone can give themselves a label, call themselves a Consultant or an “expert” – I hate that word, or maybe a “guru – hate that even more, or if they’re very special a “ninja” – there are almost no words at this point, suffice to say if you come across someone who has given themselves the epithet “ninja”, a wide berth would be the best course of action.

I see people calling themselves “experts” only to find their own social channels to be disaster areas. My advice to anyone looking for a Consultant would be to browse across their platforms, in my opinion if they can’t “do social” for themselves then you can you expect them to do it for you.

Like any form of media, social is all about effective communication. You may have terrific content, fantastic ideas on how to ignite it but if you can’t communicate those things via your social channels they’re useless.

After nearly 30 years in broadcasting there isn’t too much I don’t know about the art of communication. It won me a daily audience of nearly a quarter of a million people and enabled me to build a social community in the days before Social Media. The advent of digital platforms merely helped me grow and strengthen the loyalty, trust and support I received from my tribe.

ANALYSIS

Success in Social Media cannot be measured purely in followers, likes and fans, indeed those numbers may mislead you into thinking your content is working better than it actually is.

Your Consultant will be able to analyse your activity and identify where your strengths and weaknesses are. Which types of content work best – at what times your posts get more exposure and shares – who are the followers passing on your content to their communities and giving it more traction and penetration.

INTEGRATION

When I first started using Social Media channels at Real Radio in 2009 they were very much seen as rival outlets and I encountered a lot of resistance while trying to promote the use of these new tools as part of an integrated marketing and communications network, tied to the company website.

Nowadays this integration is seen as essential to a successful Social Media strategy with platforms and websites working with each other to build and strengthen ties with clients, customers and fans. Your Consultant will be able to identify ways to tie-up your Social platforms and spot the ways in which you are missing opportunities to integrate social, blog and web content.

A good Consultant will give you an unbiased, honest view of your social activity and help you improve in the relevant areas. They shouldn’t tell you everything’s terrible or everything’s great and they certainly shouldn’t look for criticism to justify their fee. We get paid the same amount irrespective of the outcome although you may have, like me, been on the end of reports from Consultants who were clearly looking for faults because they thought they should.

They will help a business and its staff understand how their social strategies and plans work and what’s expected from them when they are publishing on social channels.

The services your Consultant will offer are many and varied ranging from a one-off consultation to a long –term association with your business’ social activity. One thing you can be assured of is that finding a knowledgeable, reliable Consultant will add enormous value to your Social Media usage.

Here’s where you’ll find me www.chrismooremedia.co.uk

Come on, you didn’t expect me to blog about the benefits of a Social Media Consultant without a plug for my own services at the end did you?