As Peter Drucker, business consultant and professor, once said: "The most important thing in communication is to listen to what we are told". What an apt phrase! We already know the importance of communication in the relationship with our clients, however, sometimes we forget that both parties must communicate in the same way, exchanging opinions and contrasting information.
This is one of the main characteristics of two-way communication that we will talk about in this post.
Bidirectional communication, as its name suggests, is communication in two directions, i.e. there is a sender and a receiver and communication is from both parties to both parties. Not only does the sender communicate with the receiver, but both parties exchange information.
We can imagine that the sender is us, our company, and the receiver is the customer or the users who will become them.
The main difference between two-way communication and one-way communication is that, in the latter, information only flows in one direction, i.e. the sender launches the information and the receiver does not have the opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions, etc. This would be a unique form of communication for the sender.
Therefore, it is essential that the communication that our brand establishes with our clients is bidirectional, that is, that there is fluid communication on both sides. If we only send information on our part, without offering the client the possibility of showing us their point of view or asking us any questions that may arise, they will not feel very confident. This would be a big problem for us because, if we want to achieve customer loyalty, it is necessary for them to feel that they are part of the project.
As you may have already imagined, two-way communication offers many more possibilities of success since, by relating to the user and involving them, they will feel part of the project and, therefore, we will generate greater trust in them.
In addition to this, two-way communication offers other benefits for our company, six of which are listed below to better understand how implementing this communication model will improve our relationship with customers:
In order to establish a two-way communication with our customers, it is important to use the appropriate communication channels to make it as fluid as possible. For example, the "conventional" media such as television, radio or the press (newspapers, magazines...) allow brands to advertise and communicate with customers, but in a unidirectional way. When we see an advertisement on TV or in the newspaper or hear the promotion of a company on the radio, we as customers are receiving the information, but we are not having the opportunity to communicate with them.
If, for example, we see an advertisement on TV for a moisturiser that may be attractive to us, but we have doubts about whether it will work for our skin type, we cannot ask the advertiser. Then, only one-way communication is taking place.
Incontrast, there are other means of communication that do allow two-way communication. And we have them at our fingertips. Even on our mobile phone. Yes, we are talking about social media.
Nowadays, social networks have become the main channel that people use to communicate, whether on a personal or work level. Therefore, brands must take advantage of this trend that is always on the rise to promote their products and that the user can communicate with us. In addition, the presence in social networks today is essential to grow our business.
Although social networks are an essential tool for two-way communication with our customers, sometimes we do not know where to start, what language to use, how to show ourselves... Relax, it has happened to all of us.
Now, if we want to start using social networks, it is important to define within our company the figure of a community manager who will be responsible for "showing the face" of our brand and interacting with customers. In addition, it must have a strategic planning carried out by the figure of the social media manager. You can read our post The role of the social media manager to achieve SMART objectives talking about these two important figures for the company.
Finally, it is important that you take into account the following tips before starting your two-way communication with customers on social networks:
Now that you have the necessary information, it's time to start communicating two-way with your customers and show them that your brand is there for them. What are you waiting for?