Invest in Social Media
With 2.1 billion users on the planet, social media is one of the most effective platforms for marketing and customer service. This number alone is proof that your alarm business needs to invest in social media. Leveraging your profiles to boost your brand, connecting directly with potential customers, and offering stellar customer service are opportunities that social media offer to your business.
Because the number of social media users is so large, it is important to have a concise strategy to reach your target audience and communicate with current customers. When it comes to developing a social media marketing strategy, create specific and measurable goals. Do you want to get more page likes, get your name out more, and engage directly with current and potential clients? If, for example, your business is aiming for more direct engagement, your strategy may include a daily Facebook post that poses a question that can tie back into your alarm business: “When you take a vacation, do you typically share pictures on Facebook right away so you can explain what is happening, or do you wait until you come home and create an album?” Those who respond that they post right away are great potential customers – they are letting everyone know that they are not home!
Social media scheduling app Hootsuite recommends creating a mission statement for each social media network profile. These will help guide your actions and social media strategy for each platform: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and more. Using the example above, your company may have a mission statement such as, “We will use Facebook to engage directly with our current and potential customers.”
It helps to hire someone to plan and execute your posts on each of your network profiles. Your posts on each profile should follow the Social Media Rule of Thirds: 1/3 promotes your business; 1/3 should share useful tips, stories, ideas and quotes from leaders in the alarm business, successful business owners and entrepreneurs; 1/3 should be personal engagement with your followers.
Just as social media is used to attract new clients and strengthen your brand, it is also beneficial in providing good customer service. Engage with current clients on social media – when they are happy and when they have complaints. Potential customers will notice that you are taking action to correct mistakes, and showing appreciation for those singing your praises. Twitter is a great platform for such engagement. If a customer tweets that their alarm installation is taking longer than estimated and they are unhappy, use this opportunity to tweet back letting them know how you plan on fixing the situation.
Luke Chitwood recently pointed out that customers are no longer picking up the phone to call customer service, but are relying on social media to get their issues resolved. He pointed to a study in which 67% of consumers have used a company’s social media page for service issues. Creating a profile specifically for customer service, such as Alarm Assistance, will help monitor your customer service-related social communication and personally address any customer service issues as soon as they arise.
In order for your alarm business to build brand identity and provide a personal client experience, you must include social media marketing in your marketing and customer service strategies. Need some more direction for getting started? Check out 5 Social Media Do’s and Don’ts.