Online Marketing News Recap: Week of December 23-29
For many of us, this is one of the most social weeks of the whole year—holiday parties with friends and neighbors, long-expected visits with loved ones, and reunions with people we haven’t seen in ages. Hey, even when it’s fun, socializing’s pretty important—and not just in your personal life. When it comes to a comprehensive marketing strategy for your business, a great social media campaign should be a significant part of your outreach. As you’ll see this week, you can and should take advantage of the most popular social media sites in creative ways to bring your business to the next level in terms of exposure and customer service. We’ll also point out that when a big-name retailer or service provider falls down on the job, news of poor performance spreads through the social media universe like wildfire—it’s just good to keep in mind!
Social media isn’t going away any time soon. Don’t be left scratching your head at everything that’s going on with Facebook, Twitter, and all other major players in the field—get the scoop from us!
The Benefits of Live Chat/Social Media Customer Service (Sofie De Beule, Social Media Today)
What’s the best way to keep your customers satisfied? Well, there are many ways to make them happy, but when it comes to resolving customer complaints, the smartest companies are turning to live chat features and social media interaction. (You know … instead of those aggravating 20 minutes of waiting on hold for the next available representative, complete with irritating elevator music.) Sofie De Beule of Social Media Today has the full story on the numerous benefits of switching to from telephone-based service to online customer support (live chat or via social media), and we think she’s right. When handled well, it’s more efficient, convenient, and pleasant for everyone involved: your shoppers, your employees, and you. Don’t get left in the dust on this one—make 2014 the year your company implements a handy live-chat customer service platform and becomes reachable via social media, too.
Delayed Deliveries and Sluggish Sales (Cynthia Boris, Marketing Pilgrim)
Speaking of social media and customer disputes—did you receive everything you hoped to wrap and place under the tree by Christmas Eve? If not, you’re far from alone (as you probably know by now.) Cynthia Boris of Marketing Pilgrim provides a recap of what happened to her this busy shopping season—basically, FedEx and UPS were completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of orders, and many shoppers didn’t receive their deliveries by their expected dates. It explains why #upsfail and #fedexfail have been trending on Twitter—would-be present-givers are furious, while other users, predictably, have reacted to these rants with accusations of overreaction, poor planning, and lost perspective. Now, retailers are trying their best to regain the trust of their dissatisfied customers with huge discounts and promotions. Boris thinks that while it can be done, they’ll have to go a pretty long way to win some of the angrier shoppers back.
Social Media Mixology (Taylor Casti, Mashable)
Finally, Taylor Casti of Mashable has a handy primer on the best ways to combine your social media marketing efforts across multiple platforms. You may have the right idea when it comes to using your company’s Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages for marketing purposes—but do you know how to make two major platforms work together to reach new users in new ways? This smart article gives you a number of “recipes” for social media success, explaining how—for example—you can wow Twitter followers with Pinterest pics. Keep your social media marketing plan in tip-top shape by taking advantage of these great ideas.
What are you waiting for? Get socializing today!