Is Social Media Necessary? The Case For Customer Service

It’s interesting that many business people ask, “What’s the point of setting up a social media account? Is social media really necessary? What do we use it for?”

For marketing specialists who have been involved in the “interwebs”, the answer is clear. Yes, social media is essential. Many marketing gurus will push the idea that social media is a necessity to get the word out about your company. After all, millions of people are now using sites like Facebook and Twitter to gather news, resources, and information, so why not go where people are hanging out?

Yes, social networking sites are a great way to market and promote your brand, but have you thought about using social sites for customer service?

In the following video, we share our thoughts about how social media can impact your brand’s reputation and what you can do to monitor feedback online from customers who do share their experiences about your company...



There are many tools that your company can use to monitor your reputation, and as we mentioned in the video, you could easily set up a Google alert or save a Twitter search for your company name. Best of all, these tools are free to use.

The quicker that you can respond to negative feedback about your company, the less likely that those bad experiences will escalate and go viral. It’s been said that a person who receives bad customer service tells about 10 of his/her friends. Well, when you’re dealing with online social networks, that message could be spread to hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

So, going back to the initial question we posted at the beginning of this article about whether or not social media a necessity...If you want a way to communicate with your customers in a way that’s quicker, easier, and much more cost-effective than traditional advertising, then our answer would be, “Yes, social media is a must.” Even if you’re not directly making money from these sites, the amount of brand awareness, exposure, and the brownie points you receive from customers who love it when you respond to their questions on sites like Twitter or Facebook is limitless.

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