Creating a Customer-Centric Social Media Strategy

By Bethany, Social Media Strategist | November 18, 2019

A common misconception of companies and organizations is that social media is another outlet to use for advertising. Social media’s main purpose was to connect people with people, not people with brands.

As social platforms continue to grow and evolve, larger corporations and brands are altering their social media tactics to develop relationships with their customers through these channels.

I attended Digital Marketing World Forum in September and watched a panel of distinguished brands such as, Lyft and GE share their insight on how they connect on a deeper level with social media users.

Here are some of their key insights on changing your approach:

Be Authentic

Authenticity has been a key trend of 2019. Social media users would rather see a brand act themselves and show their realness than try to advertise to them. Consider the 80/20 rule, and focus a majority of your content on your brand’s mission and your organization. Also, consider sparking conversation between your users and responding to their comments. It’s more important for people to feel like they can have true conversations with a brand than just to see their one-sided content.

Use Their Content

User-generated content is growing, especially in the tourism industry. Since social media has evolved so much in such a short time period, everyone is essentially a content creator. Your customers are your biggest advocates. If they post a photo of your product or business, share it to your accounts (with their permission of course). By sharing users’ content, you also will begin to grow trust with your audience. When they see real people in photos or see testimonials from real people, they will be more likely to engage with your content.

Create a Separate Strategy for Each Platform

You don’t have to be on every single social media platform. Not every platform is going to cater to your audience’s needs. Likewise, each social media platform is different and attracts different types of users, so you should approach your messaging differently for each one.

Be Unique in a Busy Space

Did you know on average we “thumb” through 300 feet of content every day? That’s a lot to process. Unfortunately, brands must be strategic and creative to stand out in a world full of content everywhere. Collaborate with professionals to come up with the best messaging for your brand that will resonate with your audience.

By following these steps, you will be well on your way to deepening relationships with your customers on social media.

Have questions on how to get started? Drop us a note at smartstrategies@bbggadv.com.