Social Media Benefits Customers

Business Owners Offer Better Service through Web 2.0 Strategies

Aug 22, 2009

Many businesses view social media as a way of increasing financial benefit, yet it's also a strategy to improve customer service as well.

Many businesses are jumping into a social media marketing strategy as a way to increase customers and profits. A successful social media campaign can offer many advantages to the business owner. The benefits to using social media campaigns also can be of value to customers. Social networking can be of benefit to the entrepreneurs' clients in four distinct areas.

By using social media, customers can save the time and hassle of making a phone call, writing an email, waiting for a response and waiting on hold for a customer service representative. The client also saves the cost of making a phone call. It is much easier for a customer to contact a business with a question or problem with a quick tweet, direct message, or wall post. There also are some damage control advantages because it allows a business to stop problems before they escalate into a bigger problem.

Clients are more free to say what they want without the fear of being ignored when there is a relationship created through social media channels. Consumers can be expressive and open up more to give honest feedback. Through the use of polls, surveys, forums, and other platforms, a business can offer a variety of ways for customers to voice their opinion.

Social media translates into being public relations with several advantages. The message or announcement can travel much quicker than traditional PR methods. Traditionally, press releases had to be written and distributed, and then came the waiting and hoping that the message would be published through the media channels.

Social media can deliver information in a much more rapid process. It also gets the word out in a more personal and effective way with blogging, article writing, etc. All of these also stay in cyberspace permanently, unlike newspapers and magazines which are only circulated for a day, week, or month depending on how often they are published until the next issue comes along.

By offering a community for customers or prospective customers, there can be a channel to offer additional resources, support and accessibility to a business. For example, a health related business might facilitate a group which allows clients to share health tips, recipes, and information. A business to businesss category might moderate a community which encourages networking between it's members.

A business which is part of a group which is available to answer questions and also provides information, can be of value to clients. It also creates opportunities for loyalty building. Providing valuable resources benefits a target group of clients, but fortunately it also rewards the entrepreneur for their efforts.

The copyright of the article Social Media Benefits Customers in Marketing/PR is owned by Cheryl Heppard. Permission to republish Social Media Benefits Customers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.