Sprout Social: 2021 Social Index Report

Sprout Social released its 2021 Social Index Report, and few marketers consider customer service as an important factor in their ability to become a top-notch brand on social sites.

47% of American consumers surveyed in the report believe that if a brand can provide strong customer service, then it is first-class on social media. In addition, the study found that 6/10 American business executives believe that their companies are currently using social media to serve customers; 67% of companies plan to use social media to a greater extent in the next few years; only 35% of companies believe that strong customer service can make a brand a first-class brand on social networks.

Marketers are more likely than consumers to say a brand is best-in-class on social if it creates memorable content (45% vs. 39%) or tells a compelling story (37% vs. 28%).

Beyond these differences, consumers and marketers are more aligned on other aspects of how they differentiate brands on social media. These include engagement with the audience (consumers: 46% vs. marketers: 48%), transparency (44% vs. 42%), and having a strong personality (33% vs. 31%).

What consumers do when they follow brands on social

76% of consumers contact customer service or support teams when following a brand on social.

For brands, following a brand on social networking sites can lead to a range of brand loyalty behaviors, such as purchasing brand products (90%), choosing the brand over competitors (86%), and purchasing more frequently (85%).

Customer service is key, with 47% of consumers expecting brands to respond to issues in a timely manner.

Achieve social development goals

As for the types of content posted on social media, 54% of respondents said video is one of the most valuable forms of content for achieving social goals.

Marketers are also stockpiling images, with 53% of respondents believing that images are valuable in achieving social networking goals.

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