Crafting the Customer Experience For People Not Like You: How to Delight and Engage the Customers Your Competitors Don't Understand

Chapter 6

How to Build Social Media into the Customer Experience

Because social media is vital to business today, I felt it was imperative to offer the best thinking from the most qualified and experienced social media professional I know. Jessica Levin is the president of Seven Degrees Communications, which focuses on using technology to build relationships and businesses. Jessica is a social media marketing strategist who works with dozens of major companies and consults with small to midsized businesses and associations. I reached out to her for this chapter and asked her to share the best tips for using social media to craft a better customer experience.

Social media is a gift to business. It’s a godsend for the small or independent business owner, because the conversations that once took place only between people in private settings now occur more and more in public online environments. By “eavesdropping” on the right customer conversations, businesses can identify strengths and weaknesses in the products and services they—or their competitors—provide. Brands and companies can help people find answers to their problems and discover opportunities to develop solutions that may not already exist. Listening to online buzz also provides information about what your competitors are working on and allows you to react to industry threats. Essentially, you can think of social “listening” as a tool for market intelligence, consumer research, and customer service all rolled into one. ...