Feeling Sociable? Find Out How to Improve your Customer's Social Experience

Okay, so we're all coming out of lockdown having forgotten how to talk to people, right?

Phew, I thought it was just me. 

But humans are social creatures. Though, it's pretty nice to sometimes do all that socialising online, where no-one knows you're wearing your PJs. So, how do you leverage this power of sociability, of online community, to attract and engage customers?

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It's all about expression, baybeee. If your goth son wants to wear his cape to school, let him! And if your in-app customers want the chance to also show off their individuality, you need to let them too, using profiles, chats, reacts, and content creation. 

New tech is going to make branding more social than ever. So, how can you make your in-app social interaction effective, worthwhile, and usable? Well, it's all about easy, breezy, and fun interaction. 

One of the ways this can be achieved is through good ol' fashion chatting. And not to your nice old neighbour over the fence, although she's got some good takes on the weather. We're talking sparking conversations between people who have shared passions, dreams, and e-commerce interests. 

Chat

Tech like Amity Chat SDK is a good place to start. People love to talk, and they love to talk about things they have in common. And they especially like it when it's easy to do. Amity Chat SDK, and messaging APIs connect your community, through group chats for a nice bit of efficiency and organisation, and 1-2-1 chats for more personalised convos. Plus, if you're the one guy in a group chat that communicates using reacts, then there's good news for you too. Emojis, stickers and thumbs up encourage engagement with your brand, either in the chats or live chat events. And if you're another guy, trying to get the first guy to respond properly, SDK's like Amity let you use an '@' tag, so that individuals don't get lost in the noise.  

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But it's all about creating an in-app chat system that works with ease, that encourages connections based on similarities, and allows users to say what they want, when they want. If that means 3 Parks and Recs gifs in a row, so be it. 

But what if your users want something outside of this? What if they want a way to express themselves to others? This is where you need to expand social capabilities. 

Social

It's time to get tribal. People love to be part of a community. There's nothing better than a group of people spontaneously bonding on a bus over one passenger being particularly annoying. If I could bottle that tut and eyeroll, I would. 

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But another way to engage your customers is to foster communities within your platform, in a way that will attract, engage, and retain in-app users. 

This is where expression comes in. Through in-app profiles, your users can really put themselves out there. From this online presence comes the ability to connect with people with the same interest, and even to build their reputation in the community. Take Amity again, for example. This software allows users to develop personal timelines, so not only is the individual user crafting their own experience, but they are also encouraging the interaction of others through content creation. 

Experts like Francesca Gargaglia state that social features are the secret to making your app more memorable. It's the difference between passively consuming, and actively participating. Come hear her talk at #MarTechFest Dial Up, click here for more info!

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So, what kind of content creation are we talking about? Well, video is a good place to start. 

Video

Who has the time to read anymore? I sure don't have the attention span for it. Give me a 3 second clip of a dog sneezing and that'll be all I need for the day. We now see more content in a day, than a medieval monk would come across in a year. Don't ask for that stat, I don't have a source. 

So, virtual events are a way, again, for your user to be interactive with ease. Amity has a video SDK, powered by video APIs, that elevates your apps user experience by adding in in-app stories and Live Streaming. All the features the top social platforms work with, and have made popular, can be used with your app too. Short form videos have become so popular, as a way of capturing top moments and unexpected events. So why not utilise this in a branded way? 

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Feeling more feature-length? Then why not try offering users live streams! Millions of people all round the world, tapping a crying laughing face simultaneously. It really brings the world together.

But, how can we go beyond this? 

Reinventing the livestream is a tricky business. But Amity is offering a way to bring in-store interaction into the digital space. The best of both worlds. With their live commerce integration, you can sell your items on the spot to your audience, and even interact with them in the live chat. Live product demos offer a chance for users to buy from their comfy living room chair, you know, the one with the footstall. Aah, I'm feeling more relaxed already. 

But what can you offer your customer when they need help instantly? Like right now? 

Bots 

ChatBots: for when you're not feeling human beings. 

I love a chatbot. I know if I say something stupid, it doesn't actually go to another human being. Instead, it just gets saved to a database forever and ever. Wait.

Okay, forget about that. Tech like Amity Bots offer 24/7 customer advice and service, and save on human resources for your company. Plus, you get instant personalisation for your users. Wall-e can send your customers the most relevant info based on their behaviour and preferences. It's all about self-service, with a little bit of AI powered help. Nice. 

So, now's the time to start building more social experiences for your customers. People love a good chat, a good video, a good profile, and a good good robot. Why not allow them to interact with your brand in a similar way? Entertainment leads to engagement, and engagement leads to retention. And retention, well, retention leads to revenue. 

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Wanting to find out more about social experiences?  Looking to hear from all the top marketers in the industry today? Well, you're in luck. Come check out Francesca Gargaglia's webinar 'Social features: the secret sauce to make your app memorable' at #MarTechFest Dial Up! Find out if that sauce is ketchup. (Spoilers: it isn't). 

Click here to find out about attending #MarTechFest Dial Up- completely free! Just for you, the person reading this. Because I like you that much. You're welcome. 😘

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