Losing the wait

Social media is more than just an advertising platform for brands. Over the years platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, are used by brands to cultivate communities and increase conversation with their users and potential customers to increase brand advocacy. Social media is one of the top areas where existing and potential consumers reach out to brands with questions, complaints, and praise that, in turn, becomes valuable data and insights for brands to better the consumer experience.

To test the responsiveness of brands on social media, one of our Social Media Managers decided to run an experiment amongst some of the top Alcoholic Beverage brands in the UK and recorded how quick, detailed, and accurate the responses were.

the test

To select the beverage brands, we looked through top rated beverage brands in the UK and picked the ones with active Twitter accounts with messaging option enabled. We sent the best 10 a query via direct message on Twitter. We waited 10 days to record their response. This experiment was conducted in December, right before Christmas; one of the busiest and most important sales periods for brands in the UK.

Question asked: "Hi, I just wanted to check if (brand name) is allergen-free?"

Here's what the brands said:

Jägermeister

Response: Hi Saumya, we can confirm Jägermeister is allergen-free!

Our comment: Responded within 24 hours.

They used the first name of the consumer, which shows some personability and humanises the brand. It answered the question appropriately.

The Famous Grouse

Response: Hi there, thanks for your message! Scotch whisky does not contain allergens. Hope this helps 🥃

Our comment: Responded after 6 days.

Out of the 3 brands that responded, The Famous Grouse took the most time to respond with a simple and straightforward answer. An emoji at the end and simple language, as shown by Jagermeister, personalised the message.

The Macallan

Response:

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in our brand.

The Macallan is made with barley, yeast, and water. There are no nuts involved in the whisky-making process, however, we recommend that you check with your doctor if you have any severe allergies.

We recommend becoming a member of The Macallan Society to be the first to hear exciting news and take part in new experiences. My Macallan Journey is our latest experience, discovering how your tastes, interests, and inspirations have helped shape your experience with The Macallan.

https://www.themacallan.com/en...

Warm regards,

The Macallan

Our comment: Responded after 5 days.

Even though The Macallan responded late, gave us an appropriate answer listing the ingredients used in the process. It also links to the landing page, which seems like a page they ad on to every message. It is a great way to direct people to the website. Even though they answered the query in the best way, we found this to be the least personable.

...AND THE REST

Aperol Spritz, Absolut UK, Beefeater London, Jameson Whisky UK, Moet & Chandon UK, Edinburgh Gin, and Chivas Regal UK did not respond to the query.

Our comment: As a social media manager, it was surprising to see 70% of the brands did not respond to the query, especially in one of the highest sales-driven times of the year.

Graph: Time taken for brands to respond

IN SUMMARY

Community management is one of the most important areas of Social Media Management. It helps your audience to know how much you value the relationship and can turn a potential consumer into a loyal one over time. Lack of responsiveness on social media can not only cost brands sales, but can also create a negative experience for consumers.

One of the key areas of our social media offering at Together is to focus on both inbound and outbound community management to make our audience feel valued at every stage. We go beyond the brief mixing big brand thinking with behavioural insights to produce powerful and engaging experiences.

Looking to up your game in social media management? Get in touch today.