When it comes your branding success and connecting with customers and clients, social media seems to continue to be your best strategy. Social media offers countless ways and opportunities for those companies that look to sustain long term customer relationships. That is the key these days; establishing and nurturing those relationships to extend your brand recognition and boost customer loyalty. In some recently compiled data, SproutSocial surveyed over 1,000 consumers to get some valuable insight on just what they are looking for when it comes to a company’s branding efforts. The following is taken directly from those findings:
- People believe brands and social media can power connections. Despite feelings of division, 91% of people believe in social’s power to connect people. More specifically, 78% of consumers want brands to use social to help people connect with each other.
- Social is the number one channel for brands to connect with consumers. When asked which communication channels give brands the best opportunity to connect with their customers, survey respondents ranked social media as number one.
- Connection breeds loyalty and bottom line growth. Investing in relationships with consumers directly impacts business revenue and strengthens customer loyalty. When customers feel connected to brands, more than half of consumers (57%) will increase their spending with that brand and 76% will buy from them over a competitor.
- Real people are the key to authentic relationships. Consumers want to learn more about the people behind their favorite brands. Seventy percent of consumers, for example, report feeling more connected when a brand’s CEO is active on social. Additionally, 72% of consumers report feeling similarly when employees share information about a brand online.
- People want brands to connect them to other people. And they don’t mean only those with similar mindsets. Sixty-two percent believe social can unify people of different backgrounds and beliefs, and more than half (52%) expressed interest in connecting with individuals different from them.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer