A recent study in the run up to Christmas in the states by Mr Youth has found that brands are only responding to just over half of brand page posts (61% on Twitter and 55% on Facebook to be exact). It highlights an on-going challenge for brands and their social media presence – once you’ve taken the plunge, how do you maintain it?
In reality, there is no better approach than a ‘community manager’ installed within the brand’s business itself. A third party manager can delay response times (while seeking approvals), feel less authentic and often lead to higher costs but that’s still better than the biggest crime of all - an unresponsive brand. This role can’t just be 10% of someone’s job, in fact it’s more than likely going to turn into a full time one, but direct interaction with the customer will usually prove to be extremely valuable not just in building a stronger relationship and reputation for the brand, but ultimately in driving a higher rate of sales conversion and loyalty.
Whether that’s through improving customer support services through Twitter like DELL, providing real time flight information when the weather has caused chaos like EasyJet or simply answering sales enquiries – indeed the same study found that those brands that did invest in on-going conversations with interested consumers benefited from an impressive conversion rate: 80% of users that received a response went on to purchase.
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