Driving Online Engagement through the Social Funnel—Part II
In part one of this two-part series, I introduced The Social Funnel, a tool we use to help our customers understand how they should participate in social channels with their customers.
I also discussed the first and second layers of the Social Funnel where you participate in social channels to create reputation, build awareness and engage and drive brand messaging, position and product offers.
Now, I’d like to discuss the third layer.
Social Funnel Layer Three: Owned Channels
As you build relationships with potential customers in the Participating and Managed layers of the Social Funnel (illustrated below), you ultimately want to drive owned interactions.
These layers include your website, knowledge base, customer communities and surveys.
Within this layer of the Social Funnel, there are three distinct types of company-owned communities: External, Members Only and Internal.
External, or customer-facing, communities are where potential customers have the opportunity to come to you for interaction. In these communities your company gets to listen, build reputation, provide customer service and do some digital marketing.
It is important to remember that these communities are still social channels, and you can’t treat them like a traditional website or marketing platform. You are still engaging, talking and communicating while balancing marketing. Great examples of external communities include Carnival’s “Funville,” where travelers can share stories, tips and reviews about cruise experiences.
The next type of community is a Members Only (or Closed) community. In these communities, you control the membership, as opposed to external communities where you don’t restrict access. Examples are partner networks or customer-only networks where only customers can participate.
Finally, the last type of Owned channel is your private, internal community–perhaps for your employees. Employees have many of the same questions and problems that potential customers do, and they also need a private area where those questions can be discussed.
Success in the Owned channel of the Social Funnel can lead to conversion if the community is customer-focused. In one study, a large product manufacturer saw nearly 25% larger cart size for buyers that participated in the Social Funnel.
In summary, companies derive maximum value from their social channels when they see the funnel as a whole vs. as individual channels:
- In the first layer, participate in social channels to create reputation and build awareness.
- In the second layer, engage and drive brand messaging, position and product offers.
- Finally, in the third layer, focus on driving conversions—whether through support or product sales.
Verint’s Customer Engagement Optimization platform includes a powerful community platform for owned communities. We can help you execute on your social funnel, so contact us to learn more.
The post Driving Online Engagement through the Social Funnel—Part II appeared first on Customer Experience Management Blog.
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