More than ever, the strategy behind the content produced for social media campaigns needs to focus on customer experience. The journey you set forth for your customers has the power to either grow conversions or turn off your audience. As proof, Boston Digital recently came out with a study that has three critical takeaways in regards to customer experience and social media: 

  1. 54% of consumers will “unfollow” a brand’s social media if they feel like the content is not relevant to their needs and desires 
  2. 65% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or engage in services from a brand if they’ve followed their social media for more than one month 
  3. 59% of consumers responded they use social media to contact brands with questions or feedback – both positive and negative 

What do these statistics mean pragmatically for brands online? Let’s dive a little deeper here. 

Keep your content relevant and focused. 

As a Senior Consultant here at Alter Endeavors, I often discuss the role social media will play in a brand’s digital marketing efforts. One of the goals is to grow your audience and increase conversions, of course, but I also stress the importance of “telling their story” online. 

Within this vein, most brands want to seem approachable. When auditing social media channels at Alter Endeavors, we frequently see content that can be perceived more as “class clown” material than relevant content about the brand. Yes, there is a time and place for humor. Over 20% of consumers follow brands because they enjoy the creative or humorous content. 

However, content that includes humor should still have a purpose. As opposed to 20% who follow content based on humor or personality, over 50% of consumers follow brands on social media to learn more information about the product or brand. Expanding further, an additional 15% follow social media channels for exclusive promotions or deals. 

If your content isn’t focused on satisfying the needs of your consumers that your audience is likely to dwindle quickly. If you’re not appealing to the 65% of consumers who want to learn more about your product then your efforts through social media will be severely impacted. 

Grow your community. 

This one can be tricky. There is always the temptation to “buy followers” simply to raise your number. However, the real goal should be engagement. As the statistic above mentioned, the purchasing life cycle of a consumer on social media isn’t instant, however, by growing your audience and fostering engagement, you will see an increase in conversions. A strong, consistent content strategy on social media should both grow your audience as well as continue to focus on engagement. Here’s what Teylor Schiefelbein, our Director of Digital Marketing, has to say about purchasing life-cycle and engagement through social media: 

 

“Beyond conversions, social media enables brands to create true advocates that are more likely to share your particular product or service with their own community. To create a customer for life, you must acknowledge the customers’ life and how your brand fits in. For example, create content sharing how to properly maintain a product after purchase or reward long-time customers with discounts as a thank you.”

 

Social media is customer service 

As the study found, 59% of consumers will reach out to a brand’s social media for support or feedback. Social media is both an information source for consumers about your brand as well as your first line of defense in regards to customer service. 

We’ve all heard stories and some have even experienced how social media can be used in this method. Here’s an example of a corporate setting from my own life: I was flying from Chicago back to Austin on United. The flight was delayed and ultimately canceled due to technical issues. The staff at the gate was overwhelmed trying to re-book travelers. I tweeted @United that I was now at risk of missing critical meetings. Within 30 minutes, I had a private message from a United employee who then called me and rebooked me on a different flight that ultimately got me back to Austin in time. 

But it’s not just the corporate angle where social media can be used as a customer service vehicle for your brand. We have clients who receive both customer inquires and complaints through Facebook messages. Monitoring these points of communication as well as responding in a professional manner greatly increases the value add of your brand’s social media. Users often look for responses to questions posed by others and make purchasing decisions based on how they are handled. 

 

 

There is a common misconception that social media conversions are instant, or that likes directly relate to conversions. Reality is a little more in the grey area. And while the three points above are all vital to a brand’s social media success, they all rely on consistency and adherence to a digital marketing strategy.

If your brand keeps content focused and relevant to your audience and gives consumers the opportunity to engage with your brand —you will likely see a growth in conversions. If your social media content is primarily “oh, this meme is funny” or “look at this great industry joke,” don’t expect to see your followers convert.

We’re here for you. Whether you are just starting online or looking to make that next step, reach out to us and let’s take a look at your current social media strategy together.