2 strategies to engage with your customers on social media more authentically

For social media teams, engaging with customers can be a challenge. Especially when there’s a huge volume of comments, posts, messages, and reactions coming through, it can quickly become overwhelming to sift through and prioritize what should be addressed and by whom.

And while 80% of companies think they’re delivering a superior customer experience, only 8% of customers agree. That discrepancy is the precise reason social media teams need to implement a clear and strategic way to engage with customers on social media — and do so in an authentic way that doesn’t make customers feel like just one of 4.48 billion users.

1. Identify and engage with user-generated content

Positive or negative, you already know the impact that your customers’ feedback can have on your brand. Similarly, user-generated content (UGC) can’t be ignored. It’s important for social media teams to capitalize on the trust generated from positive UGC and have a plan of action in place when negative UGC surfaces.

Share positive UGC

While brand-generated content is starting to be viewed as less trustworthy, 92% of consumers trust earned media more than any other form of content. In fact, consumers are twice as likely to view UGC as authentic compared to content created by brands themselves. Identifying, sharing, and engaging with positive UGC can bring a human touch to a digital presence. It’s an easy and effective way to:

• Grow audiences

• Increase social media engagement

• Build brand reputation

• Drive loyalty

• Increase conversions

Address negative UGC

On the flip side, not all user-generated content is favorable. Inevitably, negative reviews or comments will surface. And if ignored, they can damage a brand’s reputation. It’s critical to identify this type of content and have a social media strategy in place. Having a tool that helps social teams monitor and address negative UGC is critical to maintaining brand reputation.

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Identify UGC

An easy way to identify user-generated content, both positive and negative, is through a social publishing tool that has social listening capabilities. The best tools help your social media teams quickly and efficiently:

• Pinpoint positive content to share

• Identify brand champions

• Flag and address negative content

2. Take advantage of AI-driven technology

When you’re engaging with customers at a global enterprise scale, AI-powered features are no longer nice to have — they’re mission-critical. Using technology to engage with customers more authentically might sound contradictory, but there are many ways AI can be leveraged to humanize your brand.

Tap into customer conversations

AI-driven features in your social publishing and engagement tool allow you to tap into customer conversations across digital channels. Social listening powered by AI-driven insights can help social media teams ensure that every customer conversation is on-schedule, on-brand, and on-target. It helps brands compete with digital-first competitors by proactively engaging in customers’ social-first lives — so you can recognize opportunities and respond to challenges faster.

Triage messages to the right teams

If you’re not using AI, your social teams are probably overwhelmed by the volume of messages and comments coming through from customers or prospects. They likely feel as though it’s impossible to address them all. The best social publishing and engagement tools have AI-capabilities that categorize messages and route them within your organization so the proper teams, from corporate to marketing to sales, can respond quickly and with the right messages. It’s the difference between proactively delighting your customers and a possible brand crisis.

Although addressing user-generated content and utilizing AI capabilities are two of my favorite ways to engage with audiences more authentically on social media, there are many more ways for social media teams to do this. Download our eBook for more recommendations.

Publish, Engage, Unify: 18 Ways to Fuel Your Social Media Strategy

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