Social media is an easy way to get a conversation started with your customers, but posting information is only half the battle. Like other marketing communications, successful social media campaigns demand your presence and, most importantly, timely interaction.

Ignoring posts is bad for business
According to Oracle’s 2011 Customer Experience Impact (CEI) report, “79 percent of consumers who shared complaints about poor customer experience online had their complaints ignored.”

As the report points out, the consequences of such sluggish interaction are swift and severe:

• 89 percent began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.
• 86 percent will pay more for a better customer experience.
• 50 percent of consumers give a brand only one week to respond to a question before they stop doing business with them.

So how can you keep your customers happy on your social media sites? Engage them by asking questions and personalizing your speedy responses — show them there’s a real person behind your posts. No matter how you go about it, establish a consistent method for regular follow-up on your social media sites. After all, your customers “like” you, so let them know the feeling is mutual as often as you can!