According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the average human attention span is eight seconds. This means that goldfish, with an attention span of nine seconds, have a higher attention span than humans. This is a drastic change from an average thirteen-second attention span in 2000. The National Library of Medicine states that this is caused by the rapid growth in external stimulation across marketing channels like social media. In relation to the effects of social media on this generation’s attention span, it is more difficult than ever before for businesses to stay relevant. For most people today, it is “out of sight, out of mind”, especially with companies and products. With the constant bombardment of information consumers receive on a daily basis, one single social media post won’t make a person remember the business weeks from now. Follow-up posts and direct communication with consumers are necessary to increase engagement. This is where social media direct messages (DMs) come in.
The Importance of DMing
With these new revelations about shortening attention spans, it has never been more important to build connections with your audience on social media through DMing. Sending direct messages to your followers — whether it be for promotions, customer service, or other reasons — increases the engagement with your customers. This increased engagement will help foster a more genuine relationship with your public. Active engagement through DMs will have a far greater impact on consumers than just another social media post would. This is vital to keeping the attention of your audience. Relationships created through direct messages will grow loyalty to your business.
DMing connections allow a business to interact with its customers across all loyalty levels. Whether it’s a returning customer who had an issue with a recent product or service, a first-time buyer asking for more information, or reaching out to a new follower by sending them a “Welcome!” message along with other information, direct messages allow you to make an attention-grabbing gesture that tells the individual user that they are being seen. Making sure the individual consumer genuinely feels seen by your business through direct messaging is invaluable to the success of your business. This is especially true in this era when mass communication on social media is bigger and more impersonal than ever.
LuLulemon and Social Media Direct Messaging
An example of a brand using the DMing method successfully is Lululemon. Customers are encouraged to reach out to the company over Instagram direct messages and only have to wait for a mere twenty-four to forty-eight hours before receiving a reply. The benefits of this platform are specifically emphasized if a customer is having a quality issue or complaint and doesn’t want to waste time on the phone waiting for a customer service representative. This strategy has been incredibly successful for the company and has boosted customer service reviews.
To apply this strategy to your own company, it is important to dedicate much of your customer service efforts to quickly and efficiently replying to direct messages. Time is of the essence when it comes to customer complaints, and leaving DMs unopened for too long is similar to leaving a customer on hold for hours. To boost reviews for your business, be sure you’re prioritizing your social media platforms as an important outlet for customer service.
Warby Parker and Social Media Direct Messaging
Another brand that uses social media marketing effectively is Warby Parker. This company is active on Twitter and even has an extra account named @WarbyParkerHelp which is dedicated to customer service via social media. They have a #HomeTryOn recommendation where users can tweet pictures of their different eyeglass options, and customer service will respond with their expertise. Warby Parker’s Twitter account is praised for its excellent customer service, fast responses, and personalized touch. With this in mind, it may be a good idea to follow in the footsteps of Warby Parker by making a dedicated “help” page for your own business. Separating your main accounts from customer service accounts can help alleviate some of the stress on your direct message inbox by directing consumers to your customer service page, where they will receive a timely response.
Your Business and Direct Messaging
With attention spans getting shorter, it’s more important than ever to build loyalty from your customer base on social media. Through the use of social media direct messaging, businesses make themselves more accessible to the customer, which in turn makes the customer more willing to remain loyal to the brand. JetStream Social aids businesses in their direct messaging communications by offering a low-cost service to help customers get fast responses and feel more valued. This service offers businesses several features to help stay on top of the social media game, with direct message search functions, a data analytics dashboard, a tweet scheduler, and more. Through its engagement-boosting features, JetStream Social will help ensure that consumers’ attention stays on your business.