If you’re thinking of social media as a customer retention channel, you’re absolutely right. But retention doesn’t just “do itself”, and there are lots of things you can do to increase it on your social media profiles. Here are some tools that can help.
Simplify Social Media Customer Support
Seamlessly manage and automate customer interactions across social media in one customizable dashboard with NapoleonCat – the all-in-one solution for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more.
The importance of customer retention
Focusing on customer acquisition has never been enough to sustain a business – and clearly not the kind of business that relies on loyalty and repeat purchases.
So, why do so many companies still favor acquisition over retention?
I mean, yes, every business owner/CEO loves seeing great acquisition numbers; that’s more than clear. But it’s how many of those customers stay that will really show long-term success.
Various statistics over the years have shown that (among others):
- It’s cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire a new one
- And it’s easier to sell to a current customer than to a potential customer.
I’m purposely not citing specific numbers as they will largely depend on the business model and industry. It’s hard to compare a luxury car brand to a B2B SaaS platform to an e-commerce beauty brand.
But the general consensus is that brands don’t focus enough on retention, while it’s what drives loyalty. And keeps businesses going.
The role of social media in customer acquisition and retention
Now, let’s look specifically at social media customer retention. Because social media is all about building online communities. And that’s where you foster customer loyalty (among other things.)
With the rise of social media, companies gained an effective customer retention tool. It’s where you can talk to your customers and – maybe more importantly – they can talk to you.
And that’s something they appreciate and often reward with their loyalty, recommendations – and their money.
In fact, the latest report conducted in the UK by NapoleonCat and Norstat confirms that social media is an important element of the entire customer experience with a brand. 54% of the respondents said that a positive experience with a brand’s customer service on social media improves how they see the brand overall.
What’s more, how people use social media at different stages of their buying journey also plays a role. For example, those who share their positive experiences by posting reviews, unboxing videos, or other user-generated content have the power to influence other people’s decisions.
The report clearly shows that consumers take to social media the most before purchasing – exactly to browse content from other customers and evaluate the product.
Interestingly, they do it most often on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Okay, but why am I talking about pre-purchase behavior if we’re talking about social media customer retention? Because retention is key to building loyalty, which is one of the keys to the acquisition of new loyal customers. And so the cycle continues.
Anyway, for more insights into how consumers behave on social media during different stages of the buying process, I highly recommend that you download the report.
And now, let’s take a look at some tools you can use to drive social media customer retention and build loyalty.
How to boost customer retention on social media with NapoleonCat
Yes, customer retention is super important. And yes, it takes effort, and it might often be less spectacular than acquiring new customers (which is probably why many companies care more about the latter.)
There are some really effective tools, though, that can make those efforts much more effective with much less time and resources. Let me show you how you can use NapoleonCat for just that.
Build and maintain engagement consistently
When you manage many social media accounts, caring for social media customer retention becomes increasingly difficult – that’s just stating the obvious.
And this is where NapoleonCat’s Social Inbox excels as a supporting tool for moderator teams and social media managers.
Because it lets you see all engagement from your followers and customers in one dashboard:
- Their comments on social media
- The private messages they send asking about your products
- Whenever they tag your social media account in their post
- And even their Google reviews for your locations.
And that’s where your brand comes in to respond, answer important questions, resolve issues, thank for the praise, and build those relationships that later result in loyalty.
It’s much easier to do it when all the comment threads and DMs are neatly and chronologically lined up, and you can:
- Reply to and like them from one place
- Assign them to your moderators
- See and moderate comments for ads on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
- Tag your customers to recognize them later (and also build customer profiles in the Social CRM to get to know them better.)
- Consult your client’s teams in the same tool to solve issues that require more specialized knowledge.
And so on. With one place to do it all, engaging with your customers becomes much more structured and easier to handle, while your customers get to connect with you the way they expect to on social media. Because that’s what they come to you for.
(PS. You can also keep tabs on your moderation performance with Inbox Activity Reports that can become a part of measuring the effectiveness of your overall retention strategy.)
Automate some of that engagement
I know, automate and engagement in one sentence might still sound controversial to some. And really, it isn’t. But you need to think of automation as more of a supporting role rather than a leading one.
That’s because, using automation, you can:
- Quickly reply to the most frequent questions that keep taking your moderators away from more complex issues to solve
- Automatically remove spam which, really, shouldn’t have to take any time of your human moderators (they have better things to do!). And neither should it disrupt the experience of your loyal followers on your social media profiles.
- Automatically reply when you’re away or during busy sales seasons when it takes longer to receive a reply, so that you’re still building that connection even if you can’t respond right away.
You can easily do all of the above using NapoleonCat’s Auto-moderation.
With customized automations, you can automatically respond to comments on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. You can even do it for your sponsored content, leaving you with more time for organic community building.
Really get to know your customers
When you use one social media moderation tool, you have insights into conversation history with your customers in one place and can build customer profiles in your Social CRM – and later link them to actual people buying in your online store.
This is huge for customer retention and loyalty building, as your customers stop being anonymous, while you have continuous insight into their history with your brand, even if someone talked to different customer service reps while reaching out on your social media platforms.
This is a great way to make customers feel cared for and makes social media moderation even more effective.
An existing customer is *already there*
If you’ve already built a connection with a customer and they had a positive experience with your brand, it’s much easier to convince them to stick around than it is to convince someone who has never bought anything from you to jump on board.
Aside from all the different stats you can find online, it really is that simple.
But also, it’s not about acquisition vs. retention. To guarantee consistent success for your brand, you should be focusing on both.
(And if you want to see the Social Inbox, Social CRM, Auto-moderation and more – yes, there’s more! – in action, take NapoleonCat for a completely free 14-day test drive.)
Simplify Social Media Customer Support
Seamlessly manage and automate customer interactions across social media in one customizable dashboard with NapoleonCat – the all-in-one solution for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more.
FAQs
What is customer retention in social media?
Social media customer retention includes strategies and efforts brands use to keep their existing customers engaged, loyal, and continuously interacting with their content. Unlike customer acquisition, which focuses on attracting new followers or customers, retention is about fostering long-term customer relationships through consistent engagement, personalized content, and meaningful interactions.
Strong social media customer retention can lead to increased brand advocacy, repeat purchases, and a more engaged community. Tactics like responding to comments, offering exclusive content, running loyalty programs, and creating user-generated content all help businesses maintain a loyal audience. And a loyal social media audience often leads to sustained business growth and customer lifetime value.
What are the 3 Rs of customer retention?
There are at least a few versions of this by now, but here’s the most common one:
- Rewards. Offering incentives that encourage repeat engagement and long-term loyalty. This can include discounts, exclusive content, loyalty programs, or giveaways that make customers feel valued.
- Relevance. Providing content and experiences that align with your target audience interests, needs, and preferences. Staying relevant means understanding customer behavior, trends, and feedback to create content that resonates and keeps them coming back.
- Recognition. Acknowledging and appreciating your customers for their loyalty and engagement. This can be as simple as responding to comments, featuring user-generated content, or celebrating milestones like anniversaries or top customers.
How does social media affect retention?
Social media plays an important part in customer retention because it provides a direct, interactive way for brands to engage with their audience and build long-term relationships. It helps maintain customer interest, loyalty, and advocacy through consistent communication and personalized experiences.
Key ways social media impacts retention include:
- Regular interactions through comments, likes, and direct messages to keep customers connected to the brand.
- Tailoring content, offers, and messaging based on customer behavior and preferences.
- Communities on social media create a sense of belonging, making customers feel part of something bigger.
- Quick responses to questions or issues on social media build trust and show customers they are valued.
- Special offers, behind-the-scenes content, or loyalty rewards encourage continued engagement and repeat purchases.
What is the retention rate of social media?
Your retention rate on social media will depend on multiple factors, including:
- Your industry and business model
- Individual social media platforms
- Your retention and social media marketing strategies
- The types of products and services you sell
- And more.
Simplify Social Media Customer Support
Seamlessly manage and automate customer interactions across social media in one customizable dashboard with NapoleonCat – the all-in-one solution for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more.
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