It’s time to make social media an integral element of the customer journey.
All consumer-facing companies should now be aware of the need for a social media presence.
But over the coming year, that presence has to transition into something more mature and more substantial so that social networks can become a fully integrated element of the end-to-end customer experience.
Today, 62% of all consumers — and 81% of those under the age of 45 — agree that social media posts and reviews directly influence their choice of brand or organization.
of customers make their choice of brand based on social media posts
And 17% of consumers believe that having a strong social media presence indicates that an organization is serious about delivering a positive customer experience.
of customers relate social media presence with good CX
of consumers admit social media influences their choice of brands and organizations.
Over 40% of consumers have been motivated to post to a social network or review aggregation site because of a subpar customer experience and 64% have posted — simply within the past 12 months — as a direct result of a positive brand experience.
And brands need to be there when those opinions are shared — directly interacting with individuals who felt obliged to share a negative experience can mitigate the impact a critical post can have on brand perception and help maintain or even improve the relationship that person has with the organization.
And, of course, nurturing and showing appreciation for positive sentiments should increase the likelihood of further and stronger brand advocacy.
With the right approach, social media can, and should, be used to eliminate friction from any step on the customer journey, be it discovery, comparison and consideration, or even the provision of post-purchase support.
Social media will soon be a mainstream CX channel. Roughly one-in-10 consumers already prioritize social channels when attempting to resolve an issue with an organization.
And more people, across varying age groups, are becoming intrigued with and testing this form of brand engagement. For instance, over the past 12 months, 25% of 18-44-year-olds used social media to interact with an organization.
of customers use social media to interact with brands