Managing social media can be a lot of work. Strategizing around and creating the content your audience wants to see and that accurately reflects your company's goals can be tough. Figuring out how to get your point in 140 characters or less can be challenging. Then there's capturing and editing photos, designing social media posts, and don't forget about paid promotions! Making sure your ads meet social media requirements, are sized correctly, and target the right people can seem like a full-time job. Then once your social media campaign really takes off, who has time to respond to all of those comments and questions? What happens if you ignore your social media audience?
New data from SproutSocial suggests that if you're ignoring your social media audience, 1 in 3 of them will switch to a competitor.
33% of social users would rather contact brands on social media instead of the telephone.
36% of ignored audiences even say that they will shame you to their social media audiences for being ignored.
It's easy to hold a face-to-face conversation, but social media is a completely different animal. The common courtesy of manners can go out the window, and who really wants to risk managing social to hear the negative comments? Opportunists do. Just as with everything in life, negative situations can become opportunities to improve and become better as a company. It helps to think of social media as a valuable resource to hear what your clients and customers are thinking. It's an opportunity to become better, and show them that you care about and value their feedback.
There are worse things than ignoring your social media audience. One practice that is sure to create an unhappy customer or client is deleting their negative comments or posts altogether. Negative comments are almost always opportunities to win your reputation back by representing your business positively and showing that you care. Even if the commenter remains dissatisfied, your social audience will most likely read your response and determine that you are a transparent brand that cares about improving negative experiences and ensuring positive outcomes.
Although rare, there are some situations where it's okay to delete a negative social media comment. Some examples include when someone is being bullied, a sexually explicit comment is shared, or offensive profanity is used. In these instances, reporting the commenter can also help your social audience become a better place to communicate openly.
Responding to comments (negative or positive) in a timely manner can be crucial. If you receive a comment that makes you angry, it's okay to take a few minutes to breathe deeply and regain your composure. Respond logically, professionally, and positively once you've cooled down. Time is of the essence, though.
24% expect a reply within 30 minutes.
42% of negative commenters expect a reply within 1 hour.
71% of customers say that valuing their time is the most important part of customer service.
So what happens if you ignore your social media audience? They leave, they complain, and they switch to competitors. Investing in a customer service solution is always a good idea in real life, and equally important online. It's important to give our clients and customers what they want when they want. As it turns out, a lot of them want it online.