This is part 3 of a blog series where we dive deeper into insights from the Emplifi CX Index.
Part 1: Breaking down the key findings in the Emplifi CX Index
Part 2: Our 3 social media predictions for 2023
With knowledge of past performance and informed projections of what’s ahead – brought to you by the findings of the Emplifi CX Index – your team is now equipped with everything you need to move forward confidently with plans for 2023. The final piece of that puzzle is deciding what to do next. Once you’ve gathered all the information you need, what steps should you take based on that information?
To get you started, we wanted to offer our take on what we believe would be some smart first steps for brands like yours to start the new year with after reading the Emplifi CX Index findings. If you begin making moves in these directions, we think you’ll be set up for success in 2023 and going forward.
1. Prioritize video (especially short-form video) in your social media content
If we gave just one tip based on our analysis of data from more than 1,000 clients, this would be it.
The data whispered a lot of conclusions to us, but it practically shouted this one: video – and, particularly, short-form video – needs to be a priority for brands that want to connect with today’s consumers. That could be in the form of traditional pre-recorded video content or even video around Live Commerce or customer care. All of that has shown to be very customer friendly, and can pull in a good deal of engagement if done right.
The neon signs pointing this out were everywhere in the data. Between the meteoric rise of TikTok (median post interactions were more than double the next best channel), the comparatively lower level of engagement on Facebook and Twitter, and the introduction of YouTube Shorts, it’s easy to see where the momentum is right now.
Of course, that doesn’t mean – at least for most brands – that you should abandon written content. There’s still a place for it, especially where there’s SEO value in it. That may be how you rise up in a Google search and how consumers first find your brand and engage with it.
But it does mean that any 2023 social strategy that isn't putting a major emphasis on creating compelling short video content is missing what needs to be a key element. Consumers aren't being subtle in telling you they want more video content, and they want to be able to watch it quickly. It’s worthwhile to figure out a way to give it to them.
2. Start thinking about TikTok (if you haven't already)
Speaking of short video, no social channel has taken advantage of it the way TikTok has in recent years. They’ve embraced bite-sized video content, and it’s paid off by turning them into the hottest social channel in much of the world right now – especially among the young demographics coveted by most advertisers, providing them with a stream of revenue.
Brands – particularly in the U.S. and much of Europe – still haven’t fully embraced TikTok as a marketing channel, though. It’s showing tremendous growth, but the Emplifi CX Index still showed TikTok lagging behind Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by a good margin with respect to how often they posted on it.
But as video grows in importance in the coming years, we expect TikTok only to continue picking up steam as a brand marketing channel. Consumers are going to keep turning there for quick moments of entertainment, and the brands that can figure out a way to connect with their customers there are going to reap the benefits.
So, start thinking about what it means for your brand to engage on TikTok. What’s your brand voice there? How does it differ from other channels where you’ve already been active? While TikTok users may not expect high-production videos on TikTok, humor, personality, and authenticity go a long way toward success. How can you incorporate those traits into your 2023 TikTok strategy?
3. Equip all your teams with comprehensive social care tools
Lots of brands have started to embrace social media as a customer service tool, especially with Twitter and Facebook. Brands and consumers are both starting to see those two as avenues through which customers can have questions and problems directly addressed by an expert. That’s been a positive development in recent years for customer experience, as these channels make quick, personal communication easy.
But there’s still some disconnect out there. Brands are responding close to five times faster on Twitter than on Facebook. Meanwhile, research suggests that Facebook may be a much more important customer service channel than Twitter. Not only are there far more people on Facebook than Twitter, but marketing and CX expert Jay Baer says brands may be misevaluating Facebook complaints:
"Often, Facebook complaints are structured, negative feedback more than they are cries for specific help," Jay Baer wrote. "These are viewed as complaints by consumers, but may not be viewed as such by businesses. This discrepancy may cause companies to misjudge the scope and scale of customer service opportunities on Facebook."
Not only that, but some brands aren’t putting customer service resources toward other social channels at all. As consumer and brand presence grows on Instagram and TikTok, both will see surges in customer questions and complaints. And, with that, it’s important to understand that, as consumer expectations evolve, addressing their questions and problems isn’t just a service center responsibility today. You have to be ready to "share the care" across much of your organization, and prepare everyone for the time when they have to represent your brand to a customer.
If you haven’t already invested in a tool that allows all your teams to receive, organize, evaluate, and respond to these customer comments on social in real-time, that should be a priority in 2023.
Takeaways
The Emplifi CX Index is all about gaining a better understanding of how your peers are utilizing social media and seeing where consumers are increasingly engaging with brands in the social world, then being able to go forward confident that your strategy is a sound one.
The steps above should put you on solid footing, but don’t stop there. Get your own personalized Emplifi CX Index report to see how your brand’s performance compares to other brands in your industry across a broad range of indicators. There’s no better way to sell your teams on strategy changes in 2023 than to give them objective data that supports the shift, and this is your opportunity to add that to your next presentation.
Whichever direction you choose to take, all brands should know that there’s no excuse for standing still. If you’re not looking to the future and finding new ways to meet your customers and future customers where they are, you will fall behind your competitors. Hopefully, this examination of the Emplifi CX Index has given you what you need to see the lay of the land right now, and now it’s time for the next steps.
If you’d like to see how Emplifi can help you take those steps forward, we’d love to book a demo for you to give you a first-hand look at how we empower brands to walk confidently into the future of social media every day.
