Be Consistent
Consistency is key with all forms of social media, and Instagram is no exception. Followers begin to expect content at regular times and have expectations as to what they want from you as a user so it is advisable to provide consistently new posts.
A popular way of doing this is to concentrate on a branded colour theme throughout your content. Oreo does this well by consistently using a house style and colour scheme in each of its posts.
Instagram is More than Just Gaining Customers
Though one key benefit to using social media is that it can help you gain new customers, it isn’t just a quick way to boost your business and market your products. It works just as well when it comes to showing off excellent customer service.
In the very beginning it was platforms such as Facebook and Twitter that dominated when it came to social media for small businesses, but Instagram is making ground on these platforms due to its visual nature. Instagram has introduced a number of features that makes it easier than ever for customers to communicate with the brands that they follow on Instagram and users can now contact a company directly from the Instagram profile page.J.D Power’s research highlighted that 67% of customers use social media for enquiries and complaints.
There are different ways business and brands can benefit from this:
Boosting Sales: Businesses who show great customer service on their social media accounts are likely to see a boost in sales and profits. Research by Aberdeen Group found that brands who are good at customer service benefit from an annual financial gain of 7.5%, whilst others only see a rise of 2.9%.
Creating Brand Advocates: Using social media is an excellent way to turn customers into brand advocates. If a customer has a good experience with a brand on social media they are three times as likely to recommend that brand to a friend or family member, making word of mouth an important part of your marketing strategy. 50% of shoppers have said they would avoid using a b rand again if they suffered poor customer service on social media.
Creating a Positive Image: Social media platforms are a good way to show customers and potential customers that you are interested in them. For example, many big brands create separate accounts specifically for customer service. 74% of shoppers list social platforms as a main influence on whether or not they make a purchase, so it is important that brands focus on customer care and creating a positive online image.
Instagram and other social media platforms allow customers to have a voice. Occasionally customers will have something negative to say about a brand on social media, but the key is to deal with that negative comment in a professional way to highlight how you deal with customer service, how you acknowledge complaints and how you work to fix the issue. Customer advocacy can be increased by up to 25% if complaints are responded to quickly.
