Achieve actionable social engagement without the creepy factor

Fortunately, most companies have come to realise that traditional marketing approaches will only get them so far in the world of today’s perpetually connected consumer. Over the last decade, consumers have been pushed to a breaking point. They’re tired and understandably so after years of being inundated with irrelevant, impersonal, and untimely offers.

As a result they’ve taken matters into their own hands and have come to rely on new outlets, particularly social ones for their buying decisions. These outlets which include peer reviews, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook provide more than just sounding boards for consumers, they’re venues that can potentially make or break a brand – and ultimately that brand’s bottom line.

But it’s no longer possible to sit on the sidelines. While some companies remain completely overwhelmed with the task at hand, others have started to undertake projects in social ‘listening’ or social ‘sentiment analysis’.

The problem is that listening is not enough. In short, while ‘sentiment analysis’ has its benefits, what’s the point of just listening if you don’t have a plan in place to do anything with the information you’ve uncovered? Furthermore, what’s the right information to listen for? And many ask – will customers be expecting this? These are just a few of the challenges that are holding business back from making social insights actionable at the individual level.

The good news is that some companies have stepped up their game and are moving beyond listening and sentiment analysis. They’ve begun to use the information gathered across social channels to engage customers at the individual level and drive incremental revenue. Even better, it is now possible (and easier than most would imagine) to finally take action in real time, as the events are happening.

Even for the best-in-class companies who seem to have it figured it out, there are many nuances to the best practice. Namely, when is the appropriate time to communicate with consumers and when is it just plain creepy for you to respond? Which types of responses are appropriate, and again, which are just plain creepy? What should brands listen for – and what should they not? HOW does a brand manage this process?

There is endless potential within each real-time social event. I’ll be discussing this in further detail in a webinar on 23 January. Even if your organisation seems to be miles away from achieving actionable social engagement, there are some key steps you can take in the meantime. I’ll be sharing these key steps in the webinar as well as other success strategies deployed by companies who are revolutionising the game of customer engagement.

​By DMA guest blogger Jeff Nicholson, Vice-President, Marketing, Provenir