As human beings, we are emotional creatures. Emotions drive us to buy, or to avoid buying.
Customers feel connected to businesses when they see that a brand is ‘human’. They like feeling that they’re part of something bigger than just a transaction—that they’re forming an emotional connection with the brand. They want to know that the company cares about them as much as they care about it: whether it be through an event or announcement, or simply by responding in personable ways via email or DM.
We know that it can be tempting to just give your customers canned responses to be more time-efficient, but if you want them to love your brand (and buy your product or service again), you have to personalise your messages and make them feel important.
Why should you personalise your messages?
Generic responses can lead to disappointing results- customers who feel ignored and unimportant will likely stop engaging with your brand or company in the future. Personalising your messages helps build a relationship between brand and customer. It’s also more likely to be shared, remembered and appreciated by the customer. This makes a personalised message much more effective than one that isn’t tailored specifically for that person or audience – which is why so many companies are doing this community management practice today!
How to personalise your messages
- Listen to your customers
The best way to understand how your customers would like to be spoken to is by listening.
There are a number of ways in which you can listen, including:
- reading comments and messages on social media
- reading reviews of your product/service and making note of common comments and concerns
- consulting with the customer service team on recent trends and concerns
- keeping an eye on the broader industry for best practice in terms of customer service
- Figure out your tone of voice
As with all professional communication, personalising a response requires you to be able to strike the right balance between being too stiff and sounding like a friend. Remember, you are representing a company, but you don’t have to speak like one all the time.
Don’t use too many formal phrases like “I’m sorry if this is an inconvenience for you” or “We would like to express our gratitude for your review.” Instead, try phrasing things in a way that anyone would understand like “We’re so sorry about that.” and “We appreciate your feedback!”
Do use emojis and smileys when appropriate—but don’t overdo it! Too many emojis can be distracting and confusing if they come at inappropriate times, especially when interacting with customers who are seeking urgent help.
- Address the customer by name
Customers feel acknowledged when you refer to them by their name. You can start by saying “Hi [name],” And instead of writing “We’re glad to hear that,” you could write something like “We’re glad to hear that, [name].” It’s simple—but it makes such a big impact! This helps them feel like they’re being addressed directly by someone who knows them–not just another faceless brand on the internet.
This strategy applies to more than just names; you should also pay attention to other things about each recipient that could inform how they respond best–their interests, their location, their communication style and their tone (Are they angry and frustrated? Are they relaxed and chilled out? Do they prefer a chatty tone over bullet points?).
- Sign off with your name
You can do this by writing your name at the end of your message. (ie. – Grace) This will help your customers feel heard by the brand, since they’re getting a response from a human, rather than just another automated response. This works especially well when you’re dealing with an angry customer, because they’ll be reminded that they’re talking to another person on the other side of the screen.
Your name is a personal touch that shows your customer that you’re real, and it serves as the starting point of your customer relationship.
- Make conversation
We don’t mean you should go overboard with jokes and off-the-wall banter—just don’t be afraid to try and make the occasional joke or throw in an emoji here and there when appropriate. Try to remember that customers are people too and they also have a fun side! So if a customer says something funny or interesting on your post or in the DMs, make sure you reply with an equally interesting comment of your own.
Following these steps will help you enhance the relationship between your brand and its customers – which will pay off in the long run.
Personalising your community management responses is a surefire way to create a human connection with your customers, which will help boost engagement, brand loyalty, and customer retention.
If personalising each message sounds tedious, you might consider getting help in managing your community. Contact us to know more about our community management services.