The video revolution has been exploding onto the scene for the past few years.
With every social network – from Youtube to IGTV – diving into the already active video scene, this past year, platforms are looking to offer more diverse video options to users in order to attract new content.
Live video and mobile video are getting a lot of hype in the feeds at the moment, but there is an unsung hero that businesses need to be taking note of in a serious way: video replies.
When it comes to video, one of the last names that people consider as a major player is Twitter. However, Twitter has some pretty unique offerings from its pairing with Periscope a few years back.
While Twitter offers many of the same features that other video networks do – including live video, produced content, and recorded content – one of the major mediums that stands out is the ability to reply directly via video in real time.
Now, more than ever, the customer experience is king. A business' ability to not only reach out, but connect in a deeper way and build relationships with its customers is an essential and foundational part of any truly effective content or marketing campaign.
Personalized content sent directly from the business engaging community, answering consumer problems and praises directly, is a massive differentiator between you and your competitors.
To get the ball rolling, most people have never actually played with the video reply feature on Twitter. So let's start with how the tool actually works. Then, we can break down how that benefits you and how you can use it to enhance your customer experience campaigns.
The first step in any good use of video replies is going to come through effective listening to social feeds.
There are a wealth of social listening tools out there right now that you can use – from Hootsuite and Agorapulse to Talkwalker and Social Sprout. These tools are built to help you better listen to conversations, specific users, and, more importantly, your community inside social media.
Active, real-time listening enables you, as a brand or business, to listen to any praises and problems that your community might be having and create a process to engage them.
One of the big benefits with Twitter is that it stands out as being real-time. The feed moves so quickly that the users on the platform recognize anybody that’s replying to them is doing so in the moment.
Hop into whatever tool you are using currently to listen actively to the feeds and make sure that you set up a proper system for your social media team to track potential candidates for a video reply.
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Now that you have a long list of potential posts to reply to, the next step is going to be actually having a team that's able to create a video reply.
The best way to video reply is keeping them organic and conversational, like the reply came from somebody at the business taking time to actually give them a face-to-face reply that directly addresses their question or comment.
We have so many automated systems and processes in place in our customer experience strategies that people are starving for real interaction from the brands they are engaging with. Escaping messenger bots and voice systems for customer recovery and instead getting back to direct conversation with clients is a massive way to stand out in the feed.
You can record your video reply on a desktop or mobile device (doesn't matter if it's Android or Apple). Simply record a short 30 to 60 second video that's a direct reply speaking to your customers needs, concerns, or praises, and save it on your device.
In previous patches on Twitter, you've been able to directly place a video reply to the message without any additional steps. However, since the live video update six to seven months back, this method takes some additional steps to put into practice.
After you've recorded your video and it's stored on your device, you need to head to Twitter, find the post you are looking to reply to, and open the reply window.
Next, click on the image icon inside your reply to your selected post. Locate the video that you’ve created and, BAM, you're off and running. Add some relevant copy to let the customer know who you are and why you're reaching out.
As with any new tactic, you don't want to add a new tool to the process just for the sake of adding the tool. It has to bring something more to the table – something that adds value not only to the brand, but also a better means of connecting with your community and enhancing their customer experience.
Video replies do all of that and so much more.
The biggest difference you are going to see almost immediately in the use of video reply is that your community is going to engage way more.
The ability to boost engagement on your replies is just going to help your created content to be seen not only by the person you created the video reply for, but anyone else following your brand – which is, of course, of huge value to any business trying to build better brand awareness online.
Another benefit is that you are having direct conversations between your brand and your client community – which is a huge step that most companies don’t dare to take.
As with any relationship, it's crucial to have that face-to-face engagement and real-time conversation in order to build value in the relationship.
Video reply through Twitter enables businesses to do this effectively and grow greater brand loyalty by building a community that doesn't feel slighted, but, rather, recognized by the brands that they use.
Last, but certainly not least, is the bottom line boost that comes through using this approach.
Typical custom recovery and retention tactics that have a 2 to 48 hour window for customers to hear back on potential issues are blown out of the water when a company is working in real-time to engage clients with answers to their questions, provided in a personalized format like video reply.
Happier customers are repeat customers, and even more importantly, lifelong customers.
Video replies on Twitter can do wonders for your brand, and all it takes is three quick steps. If you're hoping to increase engagement, have more direct conversations with your consumers, and boost your bottom line, video replies may be the right next step for your brand on social media.
Already familiar with video replies on Twitter and use it for your marketing strategy? Leave a review of this awesome component of the social media giant so others can leverage it just like you do!
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