Following my previous post on Timbuk2’s social approach to customer services, I was happy to get in touch with Noel Kopp – Online Community Manager at Timbuk2. He is the person in charge of making the company’s social channels accessible and engaging. Currently, Timbuk2 runs a blog and has its own channels on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. It is a handful, especially given the fact that their company is growing globally and has its sights set on international expansion. And we can see a nice social media mixture of visual engagement, as well as a textual one. See for yourself!
Noel was kind enough to answer some questions, I was looking for an answer for. Here is what he has shared with me.
Q: Where are you currently focusing your efforts and strategies across social?
A: Facebook has definitely been a focal point of ours but other platforms such as Instagram are emerging as real players in the game. At the same time, it’s hard to say that we’re focused on one particular strategy because of the multitude of communities in the social ecosystem. Things are always changing in the social world so it’s important to stay aware of emerging trends. I think each platform has a particular role and importance in the social sphere. I often think of Twitter as this fast-paced, engaging, customer service-centric platform while Instagram is really all about branding and visuals.
Q: Do you see value in society as a source of referrals?
A: Definitely. Social is the word of mouth amplified, if you do a good job of engaging with your community, your reach can be tenfold and the word spreads fast. Furthermore, push messaging across social and advertising to your target demographic has never been easier. Social will only become a stronger source of traffic over time
Q: Do you follow-up on support requests made on social media and whether they were successfully resolved through emails later?
A: I run all the social media channels for Timbuk2 and work near the customer service team so that we can resolve problems easily.
Q: How many support requests are you getting on social media channels? Are they more than the ones you get through email or offline at retail POS?
A: The more active we are on social channels, the more folks come to them to have their questions answered. In other words, when our fans see us answer questions on social, they know we’re there listening. There certainly is also an increase in inquiries the more new fans/followers we acquire.
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