Stop telling your Customers, start socialising with them!

I don't mean taking the whole lot to the pub, but online.(Although I still firmly believe face to face works, I prefer a nice bar like Mei in Chobham)

With all the current fuss about customer experience, the most common sense model in the age of social networks seems to be an hourglass, not a funnel. In a webinar hosted by Crowd Factory, Altimeter Group’s Jeremiah Owyang cited Joseph Jaffe’s book “Flip the Funnel,” which says that many companies spend all their time and energy on trying to lure customers to the point of purchase — and then stop investing in those customers once the transaction has been made.


Owyang said an hourglass model, which places value on customers both before and after the purchase, can help grow a company’s customer base by gaining customer loyalty and promoting customer advocacy.

Be where your customers are

If a pre-existing online community or social site can suit your needs, don’t waste time coming up with a new one. (Have a facebook Wall, a Youtube Channel, a twitter account and Linkedin Group/Company Profile.) Bring these to live don't just put the dull stuff up! Look at how well Innocent bring their product to life http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2011/08/say-hello-to-granny-leanne.html

Reviews

Todays consumers swear by reading online reviews, and people trust friends or connections reviews much more than they trust ads.

Enable your sites to Socially Share

Let customers show their intent to purchase. ASOS, M&S and Ebay do this very well.If customers are excited to buy your product, let them shout it from the digital rooftops. Give customers a way to advertise their new purchase through social avenues that they already use. adopted Imbed the Facebook “like” button on your website, so customers can show friends .

Make purchasing a game.
Use social features to allow your customers to share the point of purchase with friends. Consider adding gamelike elements that offer incentives for customers, such as a discount or extended service contract for customers who get their friends to purchase the same item.

Online Support
Use a multilevel strategy to save your employees’ energy for answering the tough questions. Post FAQs on your website and encourage customers to communicate with one another to work out issues on a peer level, then dispatch your employees for customer service questions that require an expert.

Reward customer loyalty.
We are living in the era of clubcards and coffee loyalty cards, so reward your customers loyalty rewards used to be all about value, now in the age of social media, such things as badges and game mechanics can be an even better prize for some customers.

Make your advocates your advertisers.
Work hard looking after your loyal customer base, then you can watch it go to work for you in the form of positive reviews, both in person and across digital channels.


Credit to Owyang of Crowd Factory who pointed out that customer advocates are the cheapest form of advertising and also the most trusted.