Social Audio: A Second Look At Customer Engagement And Business Growth

A Gallup research shows that a company that has a strategic customer engagement model generates 23% revenue more than the average company. Customer engagement is the emotional connection between a company and its customers, which is usually created through empathy, clarity, and simpler interactions. Highly engaged customers tend to buy more, promote more, and show more allegiance to the brand.

When business activities were restricted at the height of the pandemic, only the fast-thinking, and the innovators stood tall. It was a victorious moment for Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, TikTok, and Delivery Services as they gained prominence. The opportunity to connect with friends and family brought some reassurances to people and businesses. Workers could now work from the comforts of their homes, and employers could track work progress. Although all these apps defeated stagnation purposes, they also did not entirely do justice to customer engagement.

As mentioned before, customer engagement communicates empathy, clarity, and seamless execution of services. In Ghana, when the COVID was at its peak, a lot of business opportunities reared. It led to profiteering as business owners sold commodities two or three times the intended amount. For instance, vendors sold sanitizers for 50–80Gh which originally sold for 10GH.

One crucial aspect of technology they failed to consider during the time was Social Audio — any social product that primarily uses audio as its mode of communication. Some social audio products are Clubhouse, Twitter’s Spaces, and Spotify’s Greenroom.

How social audio can help African businesses to grow

Social audio is a key customer engagement tool. It establishes brands by allowing them to communicate their values and to drive conversations within their community in an interactive manner.

It establishes trust and exposes brands to potential clients. Because social audios focus on voice only, the intonation and emotion conveyed through the voice are big enough to establish a deep connection and trust between customers and potential clients.

It promotes networking between other brands. Social audio plays a crucial role in connecting people and developing relationships, not only with key players within your company’s sector but also provides a great opportunity to establish significant partnerships with other key players. Your sincerity and empathy in answering questions and listening to their feedback is a core foundation for meaningful collaborations.

For brands, when launching new products or features, social audio can be used. Through influencers, brands can drive buzz, engagement, visibility, and awareness through social audio. Before launching its product, GetEquity, a Nigerian financial service startup, hosted Clubhouse rooms to educate customers on its coming offerings. ( Benjamin Dada)

Personal brand visibility: Building a personal brand that is “visible” is a huge asset. Social audio has made driving conversations and building thought leadership is easy. Ibukun Akinnawo, a popular name in the Nigerian Fintech industry has been able to grow an Investing for Beginners room on Clubhouse with over 40k members. Through the impactful sessions on Clubhouse, Ibukun has established herself as a leading figure in the Fintech industry. ( Benjamin Dada)

Because the human voice is one of the most intimate tools that we have to relate to other people, it can communicate empathy and hope, and critically speaking, that is what most people need. With social audio, users can speak out and share their stories with the world, while feeling as closely connected as if they are in the same room with the users they are talking to. It also brings along the opportunity for creators, networking, expressing ideas, and monetizing.

While this purpose is also supported by real-time video platforms like Zoom, appearing on video means you have to pay attention to the way you look and your background. However, social audio focuses on voice alone and not background, just like Goldilocks medium; not too much, not too little, just right.