It is said that the work of a marketer is never done. I agree. And if you are a social media marketer, this applies more so. Social media never sleeps. There is always a prospective customer or a potential connection out there. This can be both a boon and a bane. On one hand, you have an ocean of leads waiting to be tapped into, 24/7. On the other, they cannot wait forever.

To do justice to this vast resource at his fingertips, a smart marketer needs to do more than just writing on the blog or tweeting and sharing on Facebook. He needs to actively engage in social communities and build a connection. Here is why it is important.

Identifying customer needs A happy customer will talk. An unhappy customer will talk so much more. These customers need not be yours specifically and can easily belong to your competitor. Quite apart from seeing them as prospective leads, you can use their experience to find out exactly what your customer/target audience is looking for. Knowledge is power. And what better way than to get it directly from the horse’s mouth? A better understanding of your customer’s requirements will help you engage them better and cater to their requirements with ease.

Design/tweak your product Is there one specific feature everyone needs? That’s the next update you can roll out. Do they want better customer support? Well, you know what you can improve now. Will they be happier with a more premium product, consider introducing changes in the pricing, and so on.

The views openly shared on any community are the most transparent and honest opinions you can come across. Not only will they help you form an objective opinion of what is out there in the market, it will show you exactly where you stand with respect to others in your business and how your customers view you.

Learning about the competition Know thyself. But know your competition even better. And no, this is not cheating – it’s staying ahead of the game. Recognising the biggest pain points the customers have with your competition can become your golden goose. Not only can you modify the product to meet those requirements, it can also serve as an inspiration for your next email campaign.

Getting in on the conversation Do you know the biggest advantage of a social community? The almost non-existent barriers. And these will not be like the cold e-mails you send out that never get opened or even delivered. These people have a different mindset. They are out there, discussing, unlike your e-mail recipients. And, when you become a part of the conversation, you have their attention. This brings down the previous challenge of contacting and engaging a prospect rather drastically.

Reaching the lurkers Now, we all have those friends on Facebook who don’t comment or like posts, but use it just the same to find out what’s happening. There are lurkers on your website and social communities as well. These invisible readers are researching and forming an opinion. They are looking at all the available options and are being very cautious before they make up their minds. If they see you engaging, and contributing positively to their community, you become a very viable option for them.

Referral marketing As a community and as individuals, we tend to trust the people we know. That is, if your friend likes a product, you will be a lot more willing to try it. Your prospective customer is no different.

And he, instead of trusting you or the testimonials you have put on your website, might be a lot more inclined to trust that of another peer who has had a similar use case as his. So where does he meet this peer? Why, at that online community, of course! It’s imperative for you to be present there as well to get a better pulse of the whole situation.

Building the brand image So, where do you think all your unhappy customers go? To referral hell? No! They also frequent these communities to have a good long vent about how unhappy and dissatisfied they are with your product. You can be sure that your prospective customer will be reading that long unhappy rant as well. In fact, this could be that one thing that might help make or break his mind. So how do you save the day? Why, you swoop in and reply to what he has posted! You humbly apologise for the inconvenience caused and explain why exactly it did not work. Bonus points to you if you can nail the reason and describe the scenario in which it could work better! You can even offer them an extended trial, or an added benefit to woo them back.

Becoming a thought leader Well, with a big brand name under your wing, what do you think is going to happen with you frequently churning out a good number of quality posts, comments and updates? You become an automatic thought leader! You become an authority on that subject and people turn to your expertise (your posts and comments) before reaching their own conclusions. It is indeed an enviable position to reach. And is the greatest advantage that a solid online presence on social communities can grant you.

Quick tip: Remember to post as an individual and not as an organisation. However, be transparent about where you work and how exactly you are connected to the particular company.

(Nilesh Patel is CEO, LeadSquared)

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