With over 3.6 billion people connected through social media, it is clear that social media isn't going away anytime soon. This channel is the most effective way for businesses to communicate with their customers and build stronger relationships by allowing them to connect, interact & stay updated anytime, anywhere without being physically present. It helps in reaching out to a brand’s target customer without restrictions & geographical limitations.

Social media is fast becoming a part of customer experience strategy. Omnichannel customer experience requires an integrated, seamless interaction to reach out to customers at every touchpoint. 

Social media is that essential glue that holds omnichannel together. It helps businesses connect with their customers, giving them a voice in the process that wasn't possible with any other channel. This powerful channel helps companies build a quality customer base & build a lasting bond with their customers in real-time on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn to broadcast updates, resolve issues, complaints and take care of the feedback. 

Reasons why social media is a crucial part of the omnichannel customer experience

Offers amazing customer service

Social media is the perfect place to make an impactful first impression with the customer. One of the main reasons is that customers are out of the "buying mindset" here. It's more likely that they are looking for helpful information. It means that you can get the brand in front of the customer before they get in the "buying mindset" with other channels. 

Rather than contacting a call centre and dealing with representatives who have little or no expertise in their issues, customers choose to express their concerns on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. They receive an immediate response, and their queries are resolved in a short time, thereby earning colossal customer trust as a channel offering fantastic customer service.

Builds brand trust

Social media allows retail companies to leapfrog traditional advertising & forge a lasting relationship with the customers. They accomplish this by sharing some great stories that resonate with the target audience allowing companies to establish a mass community that shares their beliefs and ideologies.

With social media, customers get free access to hidden information inside an organization, helping them better understand the brand. They adore seeking answers, connecting, and putting their trust in a brand that communicates directly to them.

Greater customer satisfaction

Brands with a strong omnichannel strategy experience an 89% increase in customer loyalty & retention in comparison to brands with a weaker omnichannel customer engagement. 

Social media plays a vital role in the omnichannel customer experience by eliminating the friction customers may encounter while dealing with a brand. It ultimately results in the customer receiving what they desire, which increases the customer satisfaction index & helps overcome competitive hurdles. By reducing the time spent across various touchpoints, social media helps open the road for a holistic ecosystem where customers exist, interact, and transact smoothly, seamlessly with greater satisfaction.

Retain more customers

Customer retention is what every business dreams of. If you are looking to retain customers, this is fascinating information - Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.

Social media helps you know about the customer’s likes, dislikes, interests, and backgrounds. Once you get this information, you can target marketing strategy and messaging to better connect with customer interests, needs, and pain points.

Real-time support by being active & responsive on these channels is that specific feature that turns ON the customers towards social media and prevents churn.

Quickly addressing customer concerns through social media builds customer loyalty and retains more customers, which helps analyze what things are working and what is not.

Great place to start a conversation with customers

The beauty of social media lies in the two-way conversation that brands and customers can have. Brands can get out of their selling pitch and listen to their customers through all stages from pre-sale to post-sale. 

Social media is a platform where the conversation may start with the customers themselves. Brands aren't forcing the customers, but they walk in on their own, willing to interact.  At the same time, customers are present and want to hear the brands. It is a great place for brands to have easy ears as the ones following the brands want to listen and learn more about the brands. The brands do not have to shout out loud at the selling pitch. It is the only platform where the customer walks in to interact with the brand and not just buy & purchase.

Improves brand awareness

Customers are more knowledgeable than ever. It is difficult for a retail brand to persuade them to purchase their product or service as customers prefer to do research and solve problems on their own. That being said, if a customer is unaware of your brand's existence, they will not make a purchase.

90% of the organizations use social media to build brand awareness. Few ways social media can supercharge your brand awareness:

--> A great place for engagement: There are multiple ways to engage – conversations, asking questions, running contests, like, comment, share and more.

--> Social sharing: Social sharing is quite impactful for the brand, as they extend their reach by creating share worthy content. Check some amazing Amazon tweet, Flipkart Facebook post, Snapdeal Linkedin post

--> Promotes content: You must have noticed brands publishing stuff on their social media networks. They use this space to promote their blogs, videos, and other challenging content. It is simply because their audience is likely to be interested in what they have to say and may even find it valuable.

Conclusion

Social media is a crucial part of a robust omnichannel customer experience. It is a path-breaking way to engage customers and learn more about their needs. It can also be a way to learn more about the brand and how customers feel about them. Social media is growing rapidly, so it's essential to make sure that businesses use it effectively to connect with customers and enhance their experience.

Fynd understands the difficulties retail firms face attempting to boost brand awareness and compete against long-established market leaders. Its expert team leverages impactful blogs and social media posts to generate significant buzz about the brand and establish an online presence.

Get a reliable omnichannel solution that enhances the customer experience for your brand. Connect with us now.