Parature Founder Duke Chung on Building Brand Advocates [VIDEO]

The popularity of social media has led customers to have higher expectations when it comes to a company’s customer service system. Company representatives need to pay attention to all their social media channels and put customers first.

Duke Chung, founder of Parature, sat down with Software Advice to give tips on how to build brand advocates with social media. Check out the video interview and some brief pointers below.

If you’re more of a reader than a viewer, we’ve pulled out some of Chung’s key tips below:

Listen to Your Customers

Monitor your social channels, including Twitter @mentions’s and YouTube comments. Read, hear, and take in what your customers have to say. Learn from their comments and critiques to ensure the best customer service possible.

Be Human

Be human with your customers and give thoughtful responses to questions. “When a customer comes they want to feel like they’re engaged and want an answer from a human,” says Chung. “We think it’s really important that you as a brand engage in a very humanizing way.”

Respond on Time

Due to the nature of text messaging and emails, people expect quick responses from one another. When it comes to a company, they feel the same.

According to Chung, 20% of people expect responses within an hour of posting a question. Marketers shouldn’t delay in answering a question or helping out a customer. The customers will feel ignored and associate negative attitudes towards the company.

Create a Support Presence

Let your customers know that “you’re here to listen to them,” says Chung. That can come in the form of live chat help or a self-service/troubleshooting page on your company’s site. Customers shouldn’t be kept in the dark and need to feel like they are taken care of.

Identify the Brand’s Top Fans

The brand’s biggest supporters will recommend your company to friends and help you build a community of followers. Chung suggests retweeting your top advocates and thanking them for answering a question for another customer. They are the key in building up your brand’s reputation.

By always making your customers feel like they are part of the conversation, your brand will succeed in building support around it and its products.

Image courtesy of Software Advice