Great customer experience can benefit your brand in many ways from creating customer loyalty to turning your customers into brand ambassadors and creating a deeper level of trust and influence with them.

And because of this, social first strategies can hugely benefit a brand when planning customer experiences. 

Here’s why:

‍Before the visit:

Customer experiences can start before the customer's visit. It can start on social media in the form of enquiries, previews of menus and new collections, event information and news on launches and new arrivals.  

On social media, this will get the customer excited about their impending visit; create a buzz around the brand; and it will essentially help the customer to plan their visit. 

So timing is crucial; when is it the right time to share the right content and what should you share to whet the customer's appetite?

During the visit:

When the customer arrives at the store, restaurant or hotel, a social first strategy will create an experience for the customer that will inspire them to share their experience on social media. 

This will turn them into your brand ambassador with their high level of trust and influence amongst those in their social media network; their friends and family. And so, the ripple effect begins and the buzz around your brand gets bigger. 

An in-store, restaurant or hotel experience that is exceptional will also make you memorable, which means your customers will most likely return for another something special they can tell their friends about. 

So it's important to give them an experience they will want to share; an experience that makes them feel lucky to be where they are; and an experience that is unique and memorable so they will remember you and want to keep talking about you. You can’t beat the impact of word-of-mouth, after all.

After the visit:

When their visit is over, the customer’s experience doesn't have to end. It can continue on social media and give the brand a chance to keep engaging with their customers to further develop their customers' loyalty. 

On social media, this can be achieved through direct engagement, such as asking the customer about their visit; creating nostalgia around the customer’s experience by sharing other customers’ experiences through User Generated Content (UGC) or sharing a slice of life from your destination. You can even share the customer’s very own experience on your grid to show them how much you value their post. 

Keeping connected with your customers after they visit will build customer loyalty and a deeper sense of trust between the customer and the brand.

So what are you waiting for? More so than ever, creating customer experiences that are shareable and memorable are important in order to create a buzz around eating out, shopping in stores and staying in hotels. Safety, trust and a little escapism is what people need right now. 

‍‍Drop us a line at hello@relishsocial.co if you would like to talk to us about your social first strategy. 

Non-essential stores, leisure and entertainment are closing again in the UK and there are some businesses who are quick off the mark to reassure their customers that while their doors will be closed, they will still be connected.

Gyms are letting members know that classes will be continuing albeit digitally and I've already spotted one restaurant promising recipes and social content to enjoy at home.These are the businesses who understand the value of creating an experience for the customer and when in lockdown, continuing this experience so their customers stay loyal and will likely return when doors reopen.During Lockdown 1.0, I learned a few important lessons. When the doors are shut, social media audiences can keep growing and so can engagement. Just because your business is closed, it doesn’t mean your activity has to stop.This is because while people are at home, their eyes are on you or on the activity that captures their hearts and minds the most. And if you get it right, this is a valuable time to let your audience know what's so special about your offering.Think Bread Ahead’s IG Live baking tutorials, the many IG Live workouts from local gyms and also beauty tutorials from spas on IG Live too. Creating experiences for your audiences to enjoy at home is a great a way to help them stay connected with your business and not only does it provide entertainment and a distraction from their day-to-day, it can also add value and joy to their lives; both of which are very much in need right now.So with a couple of days left until lockdown, it’s time to start thinking fast and outside the box. It's time to start strategising because the more you use this time to connect with your customers on social media, the more value you will bring to their lives and the more likely they will return to you.