The Top Three Social Media Moderation Trends that Will Rule 2019

As 2018 draws to a close, the trends that ran throughout the year are showing their potential for the year to come. The team at Online Moderation analyzed the tendencies we’ve seen continuing to gain momentum for 2019 and below are our top three:

Online Social Customer Support

From bit players to some of the country’s biggest multi-billion dollar industries, incorporating an element of customer support within their social media platforms is key.  Whether in healthcare, entertainment, the financial industry, or consumer products, the need to provide quality online customer service crosses both horizontal and vertical markets alike.

The basis for the emergence of online customer service is the reality that most customers and prospects today are engaged in using some form of social media platform, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or another favorite social media channel.   As part of their digital marketing strategy, companies need to have a social media presence.  This cultivates a connection between the business and the customer and in turn the very real need for real time social media engagement.  Customer complaints and inquiries that once funneled through to an 800 number or an info email on a website, now come directly to businesses through direct messages and posts on social media.

The protection of the business’ reputation from complaints and concerns raised on social media channels is crucial, as these very public forums offer short windows of opportunity for customer service and problem resolution.   The solution? Online Social Customer Support.  It’s not surprising that we are seeing a huge uptick in the need for this service.  According to Gartner, “81% of businesses compete through the level of customer service they’re able to deliver.”

At Online Moderation, our experts build customized social customer service support strategies to launch new and improved customer support processes, including overnight services.  These help businesses both respond to and retain their customers, but also to gain new customers through positive engagement and great service.  There is no doubt this trend will continue to grow in 2019 as more and more people turn to social media to engage with businesses and services in a more personal manner.

Social Listening

Another trend that is certainly not new for 2019, but continues to garner headlines and shape social media, is Social Listening.    In the past, just googling your company name was probably enough to bring up several mentions of your company if the mention was newsworthy enough to show up easily in the Google results.  Sorry Google, we know you mean well, but there are times when you’re just not enough.  Social Listening goes far beyond google search results, scouring social media networks, forums, news feeds and other locations on the web to find mentions of particular keywords and phrases related to your brand.  These mentions are analyzed for indications of trends and interests that may affect your company, such as opinions of key influencers, interest in products and services and more.    We have seen the importance of Social Listening slowly grow as a real insight strategy for identifying leads and potential customer sales.   This trend is not about to slow down in 2019.

The other key motivation behind Social Listening is reputation management.  Where there are customers, there are opinions, and key review sites like Yelp, PissedConsumer.com, and TrustPilot offer customers a platform to both praise and jeer at companies and share their experiences with a large-scale audience. As audiences become more global and online customer service grows, so will the trend to post social reviews online.  While negative reviews can be disheartening, they also have a silver lining or two.  Negative reviews can alert you to problems you weren’t even aware of, so you can fix them. They also offer you the opportunity to respond to the reviewer’s concerns and turn around their impression of your business.  But only if you are listening!

As this trend continues, so will the need to manage reviews professionally and quickly.

24/7 Online Monitoring

24/7 real-time interaction, communication, and response is growing.  Chat bots, for example, give consumers the option to contact a company at any time, day or night, and the expectation is that someone is going to answer.   Consumers are no longer satisfied with hold times, canned responses and templated bot responses.  They want real service and they want it now.

Offering 24/7 customer service to today’s consumers is a decision that more and more business-owners are making and for good reason.  Issues and questions usually come at the most unexpected times, and customers need someone knowledgeable to help them sort things out as soon as possible.  By offering 24/7 customer service you are telling your customers that you have their back, no matter what time of day.  Plus, once you have won your customers’ trust because of your 24/7 customer service, they will not hesitate to recommend you to their circle and contacts.

You’ve all heard the expression the internet never sleeps.  Logging off, shutting down, and unplugging can leave brands blind to what’s going on outside of their region, or with night owls nearby.  With the online audience growing at a phenomenal rate, companies are realizing that investing in a moderation and monitoring service may no longer be a luxury.

Conclusion

As 2019 dawns, new challenges will be facing companies globally.  You need to identify influencers and micro-influencers, prepare for social media crises, and continue to sell online and evolve your social customer service.  Preserving existing customers and connecting to and capturing new business, all while maintaining a good online reputation, can be daunting in an age where a few keystrokes from an upset customer or past employee can trigger a potential PR crisis. The right mix of Social Customer Support and Social Listening 24X7 works. Make sure you’re listening and engaging with your customers online, the results will be worth it!

Online Moderation is a social media moderation and monitoring company providing leading brands, such as ABC News, Beachbody and Mass Mutual, with a suite of moderation, customer support, social listening, and reputation management services.  We bring an experienced, unbiased, and results-oriented approach to our work with large and small brands, 24x7x365, across the globe. Whether you are just starting to build your online strategy, looking to better service your customers, protect your brand reputation, oruncover social insights, Online Moderation’s solutions will help you thrive in today’s digital world.