Nikki Baird

Social Media Primarily Attracting Loyal Customers

February 9, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
A new study confirms that consumers are increasingly connecting with their favorite online retailers through social media sites. But most of those "friending" or "following" online retailers are already loyal customers. Should social media tools be predominantly seen as a way to reinforce loyalty with existing customers?      [more...]

Well, certainly it is important to understand which of your customers are using social channels. If it turns out that they are already "fans," then you need to use that medium to reinforce that. The worst thing you could do would be to treat them as fresh new customers that know nothing about the brand, or relentlessly sell in those channels without acknowledging the social/community aspects of what those channels enable.

But I would shy away from blanket statements--how consumers choose to engage with one retailer isn't necessarily a guarantee for how they engage with all retailers. That's the beauty of customer centricity. What's right for you isn't what your competitors are doing, it's what your customers are demanding. It's how you respond to those demands that will make the difference, these days.