{"id":5488,"date":"2014-07-28T17:22:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=5488"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:36:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:36:06","slug":"the-customer-is-always-engaged-4-steps-to-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/the-customer-is-always-engaged-4-steps-to-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"The Customer Is Always Engaged: 4 Steps to Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s an old saying in business, \u201cThe customer is always right.\u201d We all know that isn\u2019t necessarily true all <\/i>the time, but one thing is: The customer may not always be right, but they are always engaged. <\/p>\n

Social media has given customers all around the world the opportunity to share their voice, whether it\u2019s to promote or complain. They are constantly connected\u2014and we, as sales and marketing professionals, need to listen to the conversations. We have a phenomenal opportunity to speak directly to consumers as the conversations are happening.<\/p>\n

Whether the conversations are positive or negative, they\u2019re happening whether you\u2019re there or not. Their experiences are becoming a part of your brand\u2019s story\u2014online, and accessible by the rest of your customer base.<\/p>\n

We know of the horror stories of social media listening gone wrong, when customers complain and brands respond poorly (or not at all); when hashtags getting hijacked because they weren\u2019t thought through. These are all real possibilities, but the positive responses outnumber those negatives by multiples.<\/p>\n

When marketers are crafting their brand\u2019s story, there are a few things to keep in mind\u2014specifically the 4 E\u2019s dedicated to building customer relations.<\/p>\n

Engage<\/b><\/h3>\n

Social media gives everyone<\/i> a powerful platform to talk from. But who are the most important to your brand? You will need to identify your target audience before jumping in. What are they searching for? What are they talking about? Who is doing most of the talking? Where are they talking at? If you have already identified your target audience, review it. Your brand is ever evolving\u2014your customer base is, too.<\/p>\n

Like an air traffic controller, you should be monitoring the conversations<\/a> not only on your social networks, but on those of your competitors, too. There are great instances of companies swooping in, responding to the competition’s customers, and creating new customers while also engaging with other big-name brands.<\/p>\n

Engaging is the cornerstone of all social media. If you\u2019re not engaging on social media, you\u2019re doing it all wrong.<\/p>\n

Educate<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve always said, \u201cYou don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know.\u201d The same is true for your customers. When you engage with your customers<\/a>, you are building brand loyalty and customer relations, while educating them at the same time. That\u2019s a lot you accomplish with just one tweet or post! The easiest way to do this is by answering questions. Although obvious, it is one of the most effective ways to humanize your brand to customers.<\/p>\n

As a marketer, it is important to remember that:<\/p>\n