Customer Experience

By Nick Johnson - April 9th, 2013

In this week's review of the week's big corporate social media stories, we look at the cost of bad customer service, social media influencers and a lot more!

The cost of bad customer service

Customer service has gone social that much is certain, as consumers increasingly favour their favourite social media networks as their primary communication channel when they have a customer services enquiry. A new infographic from Help Scout makes for sobering reading.

The main conclusions from the research that was carried out include that over three-quarters of your business’ customers will stop doing business with you if they have a bad customer services experience. Conversely, roughly the same number will recommend a brand that has given good customer service – and we all know the commercial advantages that the recommendation economy now has. What’s more, only 10% of companies actually deliver great customer service according to the Annual Mystery Shopper Study.

Who are the main social media influencers?  

Your business knows that nurturing its brand advocates can pay massive dividends, but does your corporation really know and understand who has the most influence across the social media landscape? In a bid to answer that question the MBA Marketing Degree Guide decided to find out.

What they discovered is that when it comes to social media influence, size doesn’t always matter. Over half of those surveyed showed that high levels of influence tend to come from smaller groups that are highly focused on their particular market sector. If your business can cultivate these specialist groups, your brand influence will certainly be enhanced. And linking these influencers to your business’ website will deliver the most persuasive influence of all.

However, the research makes it clear that your business doesn’t get something for nothing. Over 60% of businesses expect to increase their marketing spend, with 10% of this devoted to social media. And focusing on the ‘mega influencers’ reveals many of the usual suspects such as Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Scott Monty. Read the USM interview with Scott Monty, Head of Social Media here

Is content still king?

The channels that corporations are using to reach their customers have continued to evolve. The latest report from CopyPress clearly illustrates these changes. Email continues be the leader in this sector closely followed by social media. The generation of ROI from content was shown to be lead by featured articles and video. From a social media perspective this isn’t surprising as these two mediums are often cited as some of the most recommended and linked to media across all social media networks.

Also the report looked at content creation and authorship stating: “While much of the online marketing buzz seems to be about the “authorship” connection with “Google,” many people controlling spend are thinking about the non-platform focus and concept of authors and how they figure into the Content

Marketing scope.” Social media networks are clearly hungry for content that can be communicated. Corporations that put resources into high quality content creation will always be the ones reaping the commercial rewards that are available right across their social media networks.

Outdoor ads promote social media interaction

A new report from Interactive Europe has shown a clear coloration between out of home ad campaigns and social media engagement. Over three-quarters of respondents stated that they bought something online, or liked a brand on Facebook after seeing out of home ad messages.

The report cites many examples including: “CBS Outdoor ran a campaign on the London Underground utilising Wi-Fi and 50 posters across 30 stations. The campaign challenged Londoners, asking them to identify the names of 75 London Underground stations hidden within the image on the campaign. Commuters were directed to a micro-site (www.lookforlonger.com) through a clear call to action, where they submitted answers for the chance to win a selection of prizes. They were also able to ask for help via Twitter (#lookforlonger).”

With Philippe Balladur, Media Director, Coca-Cola, France succinctly pointing out: “We cannot think about digital versus traditional. We have to think about all contact points and how they enrich the consumer experience.” Often overlooked, out of home ad campaigns need to connect directly with the social media that supports them. With smart phones and tablets now ubiquitous, corporations must include this touch point in all their future campaigns.

Until next time….

The Useful Social Media team.