Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Though consumers still make the trek to brick-and-mortar stores to make purchases, more and more people are shopping online– either as their primary means to buy or as an informational resource prior to visiting a physical store. By 2014, more than a third of Americans are going to own a tablet device, and it’s clear that e-commerce, particularly of the mobile variety, won’t be slowing down any time soon. A whopping 71% of shoppers believe they get a better deal online than in stores. Even more, 46% of online users rely on social media when deciding what to buy. Nowadays social media platforms are utilized by brands not only for advertising but to solve what their traditional counterparts would see as ‘customer-facing’ challenges, including direct communication and damage control. That means it’s even more important for these brands to solidify a strong online presence – just ask Lululemon, Warby Parker and Chobani. We’ll get to them in a bit. Let’s look at how brands are using Twitter to strengthen their connections with customers on social media. Twitter #problems Tons of people take to Twitter to tweet at their favorite brands and retailers when something goes wrong. A lot of brands are smart – they have separate accounts for consumer marketing and customer support. The only problem is, 70% of companies ignore customer complaints that come through Twitter. That’s bad for business – which is something brands can’t afford if the relationship between eCommerce and social media continues to grow stronger. That’s where physical stores have the advantage. Talking to a consumer in real time alleviates a lot of tension – which might be why 63% of consumers prefer going to an actual store when they need to return something. More than that, 51% of consumers like building a relationship with the merchant. Some brands on Twitter do a great job with online consumer-brand relationships: Warby Parker. This glasses retailer does a great job of engaging with their customers by delivering timely and friendly responses – a perfect fit for their low-maintenance, hipster-ish brand. After hitting a major milestone, (distributing 500,000 pairs of glasses to those in need) WP fans took to Twitter to congratulate them – and WP took the time to reply, literally, to all of them in a personal way: Chobani. As one of the most popular yogurt vendors out there, Chobani has a lot of people that want their attention. Chobani does a great job of responding to, and solving, problems of their customers using social media: Climbing Twitter’s Vine When twitter launched its video functionality in January, users weren’t the only ones who jumped into the new platform headfirst. Brands hopped on the video bandwagon too, some with very successful results. The basis of the vine video functionality is pretty simple; it’s a video feature that allows you to record and publish a video directly to your twitter feed. The maximum length of a vine video is 6 seconds, and the interface is fairly basic. The simplicity and time limit of the platform lends itself well to stop-motion videos, but brands and users alike have created some pretty amazing works of art since the tool was launched. The most successful brands on Vine have been the ones who don’t shove products down throats, but rather engage in tangential topics around their products. Again, Chobani does a great job in this Vine video that demonstrates how to cut up a kiwi (which is quite delicious on top of their yogurt.) Latest Developments: Instagram Video and Facebook Hashtags Instagram is following in the footsteps of Twitter’s Vine, but it looks like it’s actually making a bigger footprint. Instagram videos can be up to 15 seconds long – the same as a short-form commercial and ideal for marketers. Instagrammers can also give their videos the same treatment they do to their photos by adding filters. You can even fix any shaky camera movement with a stabilization feature. Instagram feeds right into Facebook, which claims one billion monthly active users. That gives brands a lot of opportunity to communicate directly with potential customers. With a lot of potential profit up for grabs, brands can use Instagram video to better relate and interact with their customers by creating engaging videos – not ads. That’s the big thing brands on Instagram are already doing (just look at Lululemon, Nike and Michael Kors). Their videos stick to the Instagram code – artsy and natural. Instagram videos usually come with a hashtag or two – something that can now be found on Facebook. Hashtags seem like old news because well, Twitter has had them forever. But the addition of hashtags to Facebook is a real milestone for the platform, one that takes it a bit further from a private, controlled sharing tool and a bit closer to the real-time relevance that Twitter has dominated. It also means that marketers can extend the conversation around a brand beyond its fan base to the wider audience of the whole platform. If social network sales increase 93% each year through 2016, that leaves brands no choice but to ramp up their social media presences to reach a broader eCommerce-focused audience. Brands use social media religiously to reach an audience they can’t see – with sites that users don’t have to pay for. Where do brands go from here? So with Facebook getting hashtags and Instagram introducing video, what should brands takeaway from these social media additions? Consumers on social media are going to continue to use social media – video on Instagram that can be easily integrated into Facebook is a huge advantage for brands. Huge. Fifteen second Instagram videos are enough to make an impact without taking up too much time – 15 seconds is long enough for brands to show themselves, and just short enough that people will watch the entire video. Facebook hashtags will open new doors for brands looking to connect with consumers. Which brands will take advantage of these new additions the most? I can’t wait to see. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article was written for Business 2 Community by Rose Haywood.Learn how to publish your content on B2C Author: Rose Haywood Follow @creative_rose Rose Haywood is an Internet tech blogger and small business marketing/tech consultant. She hails proudly from Asheville, NC but resides for the time being right outside of Atlanta, GA. Feel free to reach out to her directly via twitter.… View full profile ›More by this author:How Google Helpouts Can Help Out Your BrandDon’t Let Holiday Stress Kill Your Productivity5 Eco-Resolutions to Make for Your Business Next Year