To quote Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
When I attended Social Fresh West in San Diego a few weeks ago, this quote in particular seemed to ring true as the running theme of the speakers and presentations featured at this conference: the next wave of customer experience is all about creating an emotional, reciprocal connection using social media. To share my experiences at Social Fresh (‘cause that’s what social is all about, right?), here are my top takeaways from the conference:
What is social customer engagement?
According to Adrian Parker, Global Head of Social, Mobile & Emerging Media of Intuit, social customer engagement is all about the two-way relationship. Gone are the days when consumers had 1-2 options. We truly are in the Age of the Customer; consumers are becoming increasingly informed, empowered and demanding. Modern businesses need to adjust their engagement and personalization strategies as a result.
Social media affords a distinctive way to engage with consumers. Not only is it more personal (there’s a person behind all those tweets, after all), but it’s also a mutual conversation between business and consumer. When using social media, you’re talking with consumers, not to them, and it doesn't go unnoticed.
Generation C is a brand new audience
In the 'ego-system' of today’s consumers, we must realize that the expectations of our audience have changed. According to Brian Solis of Altimeter Group, the Generation C audience is particularly unique in that they in turn have their own “audience of audiences.” These consumers are constantly connected to their own personal network of listeners and followers via various social media channels through which they broadcast information.
A little confused? Think of it this way: What are conversations in social and mobile all about today? They are expressions of experiences! And those experiences guide people through each moment of truth in their journeys as consumers. You are responsible for designing that journey, and in order to do so, your creative content must engage and trigger a social effect. Social is not media; social is a philosophy of business, and you need to adjust your strategy accordingly.
Offline is the new online
You may know that 60% of Americans age 12 and up have smartphones, but did you know that 70% of social media consumption happens on smartphones and tablets? The so-called “third screen” of mobile is in third place no longer: even when customers are watching TV, they’re using mobile devices.
Slide courtesy of Tim Hayden of TTH Consulting and Social Fresh
So what does this mean? There are now more opportunities than ever to engage with consumers round-the-clock. How many times have you seen a hashtag appear in the corner of your favorite TV show? Or even a billboard with just a hashtag on it? The NCAA even chose to ban colleges from utilizing on-field hashtags in football end zones! The offline world can be just as powerful of a motivator as any to start a conversation and bring your customers online.
ROInstagram: ROI + Instagram
Bryan Srabian, Director of Social Media for the San Francisco Giants, discussed how the Giants (@SFGiants) are leveraging Instagram to bring fans closer than ever to their brand. Why Instagram? Well as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. With over 130 million active users, Instagram provides the opportunity for a LOT of words. Numbers aside, Instagram also resonates more with millennials than any other social network; the younger generation isn’t even using Facebook anymore.
The Giants’ Instagram account has become the face of their brand and an important channel to their fans. Instagram affords a unique opportunity for fans to emotionally engage with their favorite team, often providing a free behind-the-scenes pass! As Bryan noted, this engagement leads to affinity, which leads to sales. They’re certainly doing it right up in San Francisco, but they’re not the only ones. @Starbucks, @RedBull and @lululemon are just a few of the brands who are capitalizing on the emotional engagement opportunity provided by Instagram to interact with their fans in a way that they never could before.
#SocialFresh Summary
Everything I experienced at Social Fresh West confirmed the idea that the consumers’ expectations for their customer experience are changing. The best and most successful businesses in today’s age begin with empathy, and social media is a prime outlet to show it. In short: don’t neglect the 'experience layer' of your business strategy. Follow these steps as a guideline:
- Figure out how your customers engage with you
- Create content for these channels that encourages interaction
- Identify key trends and measure the ROI as you go
- Decide on your Social Strategy
These steps are merely suggestions, as each business’ strategy is bound to be unique and specific to its own audience. But if you need strategic consulting services, TrendSource is more than happy to help!
