Customers Say Small Business Social Media Efforts Failing: Survey Says

Do you think communicating with customers via social media is a fad? Well, customers don't. In a new study commissioned by Conversocial and conducted by assistant professor of communications Liel Leibovitz at New York University, the majority (50.7 percent) of consumers say they currently use social media to communicate with businesses. What's more, 78 percent believe that social media platforms will either soon entirely replace other means of customer service, or become the dominant way for consumers to communicate with businesses.

The bad news is, customers aren't getting what they want from these interactions. Just 8 percent report being satisfied or very satisfied with businesses' responsiveness on social media. Almost one-third say their complaints or messages had been ignored by companies. And a whopping 88 percent say if they see that their or other customers' complaints on social media are ignored, they'd be less likely to buy from those companies in the future.

Why it matters to your business: Having a social media presence does your company no good if you're not active. A Facebook page or Twitter account filled with unanswered questions, complaints or concerns does the opposite of what you intend: It shows prospects that you really don't care about customers' problems. If you're going to get involved in social media (and by all means you should), don't bite off more than you can chew. Start slowly enough that you can actually be responsive and develop relationships. That's what social media is all about.

Comments

[siyathomas88]

09:11 PM on 09/06/2012

In my opinion social media is a great tool for small businesses. Before starting with the social media you should first set our goals and decide where you want to be. One thing I would like to add here is, the key to get on the top of social media is to keep your content or story simple and sober.
http://workwithmarkchoo.com/which-is-the-best-social-media-for-small-business

[higgsj]

10:44 PM on 04/22/2012

It's a major issue. We help small businesses address customers through social media. Most SMB owners don't have time to keep up with the real-time, 24x7 nature of social media. They need to focus on their business and monitoring social media just isn't in the schedule most of the time. Happy to answer any specific questions jason [at] bounceshotmedia.com

[JackPeterson007]

04:40 AM on 07/09/2012

I am a small business owner, and I have a personal FB account but I will NOT put my business on FB...that would be a time waster.

http://www.surveytool.com/customer-survey-questions/

[MFS001]

03:51 PM on 02/10/2012

Many businesses are still in antiquated "advertise-to," "talk-down-to" mentality; not understanding that the world has changed and that they must be interactive with their market if they want to succeed. They must engage.

[mrpotatohead]

01:01 AM on 02/11/2012

And a lot of customers have an entitlement attitude believing that small businesses can make money when the customers use their stores to look at the product, learn how to use the product, only to buy it online because it's a few bucks cheaper.

Only as business districts become empty shells and the taxes disappear will customers realize that Amazon and Wal-Mart don't care all that much about the local schools, parks, and senior programs. By then it won't matter much that the local business didn't have a Facebook Page.

[MFS001]

02:12 PM on 02/12/2012

Yes, but there is another solution for small businesses: do not compete on price. In fact, competing on only price will always, in the end, put you out of business. The key is to figure out how to add value to what you sell.

[Tom Laz Bisley]

01:01 PM on 02/09/2012

Having a social media profile is more than just creating sales leads, it's about building a relationship with the customer and creating awareness of your brand. In the same way that you would engage in small talk with your customers or clients rather than snatch their money from them with barely a smile so using your social media profiles will create a bond.
I've run accounts for small businesses where customers have apologised for visiting a competitor and have vowed never to do it again. You can't buy that sort of loyalty off the shelf, you have to work at it.

[csrSocialite]

03:59 PM on 02/08/2012

This is why it's very important to not only have the social profiles, it's equally important to have a qualified individual(s) updating and responding to incoming messages. This is not something you just assign to anyone who has experience with a Facebook profile. This is a serious sales, marketing, and customer service tool. :) Margaret, Tweet @csrsocialite

[mrpotatohead]

01:05 AM on 02/11/2012

That's exactly right. It's also why a lot of small businesses don't engage in social media. Doing it incorrectly can cause as many problems as it solves. Furthermore, many small businesses often can't afford to hire someone to do this - and when they can afford it, they quickly realize that those qualified individuals often don't care about the business to the extent needed to keep the business in tact.

[ratiocinate]

04:29 PM on 02/07/2012

I have spoke with several small business owners and they will tell you just the opposite. They signed up with FB and the other social outlets and none claim they received any new sales from their efforts. Most of us small business owners don't have the time to tweet, and post on FB on any regular base and would prefer to actually speak to a customer in person or via the phone. I am a small business owner, and I have a personal FB account but I will NOT put my business on FB...that would be a time waster.

[csrSocialite]

04:01 PM on 02/08/2012

Honestly, free exposure is not a time waster. Depending on your service/industry you can be found simply because you have a Facebook page. You don't have to be on it 24/7 to have an updated presence. You can use a 3rd party like hootsuite.com to schedule messages. And my suggestion is to schedule 3 times per week that you log on and see what's going on. It's not the end all, be all to your business. But it is a very important marketing tool in today's economy.

[mrpotatohead]

01:06 AM on 02/11/2012

Free is often a synonym for very expensive or a complete waste of time.

[MFS001]

03:57 PM on 02/10/2012

csrSocialite makes good points. You are not doing yourself any favors by avoiding FB. You are likely losing ground to your competitors, or you will eventually.

[mrpotatohead]

10:00 PM on 02/06/2012

This is a fluff piece at best and and advertisement at worst.

The return on investment of these things is quite different between small businesses and Wal-Mart. It's time for us to recognize that Wal-Mart is playing on a completely different field and set of rules than small business.

I hope this article doesn't represent where HP is headed.

[MFS001]

03:59 PM on 02/10/2012

Not necessarily. Big business needs to be hooked into social media just as small businesses are. Check out how Disney runs its FB page -- Wal-Mart or any big business would be smart to pay attention.

[nocountry2]

06:51 PM on 02/06/2012

As a small business owner, from personal experience this is a double-edged sword. On one hand the business FB page is technically a "fan" page, not place for people to gripe. On the other it is valuable to hear legitimate feedback. I have deleted some "feedback" comments that are obvious ploys from competitors, and others that are pointless (ie: don't demand that a vegetarian restaurant provide carnivore options or you're never coming back, hello). In my opinion it is much easier to identify and address legitimate complaints/concerns via the business email

[csrSocialite]

04:04 PM on 02/08/2012

I think you were right in deleting competitors comments, that's so caddy. Continue to use facebook for what it is, a social tool. A tool that allows you the business to engage with other businesses and people who like your page. :)