Social Media in India is still growing and every brand/business/agency has their own definitions about it. Flipkart has a proven track record when it comes to social media and digital media. Here are 5 social media lessons that other brands can learn from Flipkart.
The field of e-Commerce has changed a lot over the last few years, and the methods used within it have also. Unsurprisingly, there have been plenty of sites out there that try their best to show they are more lucrative than what they really are. But Flipkart sticks to what it promises; let’s have a brief understanding of this online Store in digital space.
Flipkart started back in 2007 with online book selling. After that it entered the telecommunication category by launching mobile phones. Since then it has rapidly grown to other verticals. The reason for Flipkart being so popular is due its innovative features like cash on delivery where after the customer gets the delivery of the good he/she can check the good and make the payment on cash. The online store has spread to multiple categories namely they are Books, music, mobiles, computers, cameras ,home and kitchen applications, TV and home theatre systems, Personal and healthcare products and stationary items as well.
Flipkart has a really good presence on social networks:
It is interesting to see that Flipkart still hasn’t leveraged Pinterest, but looking at above followers/ fans Flipkart is doing something right! Let’s have a look at 5 social media lessons that brands can learn from Flipkart:
1. Social Listening
It’s no secret that social media can be used to follow conversations of customers. No brand can be all things to all people, but letting a customer know you are aware of their situation and troubleshooting it that does a lot to ease the aggravation. Every brand receives backlash, the beauty lies in the way they handle it.
On Flipkart whenever they receive complaints on their online properties, they are prompt on replying and courteous. This re-instates the customer’s belief that once the product is sold it isn’t forgotten Flipkart does a great job on handling their customer queries, complaints and provides them with solutions as well.
2. Social Media as a Whole
Every Social Media platform has its own uniqueness and the way they work is also different. The reason that many brands do not effectively connect is because they cannot be easily found or recognized on social media that is due to lack of information and integration. Running a Facebook campaign doesn’t mean you cannot talk about it on Twitter, and that is where flipkart got it right.
On Flipkarts website as you scroll down you will see an option where they can be connected on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ thus making the customers aware of their presence. Diwali being around the corner, all the festive preparations have begun. Thus keeping in mind that Flipkart is running a contest on twitter, where your tweets can win you a gift they have linked it across all their networks. Thus it increases awareness, exposure and more interaction.
3. Be Humorous
Flipkart’s way to inform their customers is path breaking and innovative. Most ads fail to connect at any emotional level and seem more like an announcement.
Flipkart’s ads for one stand out with 12 year olds enacting like grownups and addressing the real concerns around ecommerce, it seems Flipkart is doing what an industry leader should do, i.e. create awareness about the industry and not only about themselves. While all other ecommerce sites took to buy from me stand, Flipkart addresses buy online. They have even shared these advertisements on their social networks to spread awareness as well.
4. Re-Marketing
Re-Marketing is a way of following customers that didn’t convert the first time they visited your brands website. So with this you can target your customers with the ads that are relevant to the pages or products the customers viewed on your site. This is what Flipkart does, even if the customer forgets, Flipkart remembers and lures the customer with the personal touch.
Example like in the sponsored Ads category of Facebook, you viewed a certain product of flipkart and left the website. The same product or page shall be seen on the right handside of Facebook in a way nudging the Customer to have a look again; hence it creates inquisitiveness and lures the customer to click on the link.
5. Know the Platform
It is very important for brands to be aware of changes happening on social network’s if they are not adhering to those changes they are clearly losing out more ways to expand their reach. Flipkart is amongst those brands which adapt to change very frequently. Like if you go on their Facebook page, you will see now they share more and more links and that is because, links on Facebook are working as good as photos these days (report suggests).
Most brands don’t even have a page on Google+; even if they do it’s like a Ghost Town forgotten! Flipkart handles all their online properties very consistently and is a follower of the most important saying that the only thing constant on social media is “Change”.
Now it’s your turn
Though I am wondering why Flipkart doesn’t have a YouTube Channel? If this is the official one, they surely need to revisit it again and at least add a profile pic there.
What do you think about Flipkart? Ever had a good/bad experience with them? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.