Two-way communication 

happens when the recipient and the sender of a message

exchange roles on a continuous basis. In marketing, this happens when a brand sends a
message, the consumer responds to the message, the brand reacts to the consumer's
response, and so on. In traditional marketing, communication was one-way.

What Is Two-Way Communication?

Two-way communication happens when the recipient and the sender of a
message exchange roles on a continuous basis. In marketing, this happens
when a brand sends a message, the consumer responds to the message,
the brand reacts to the consumer's response, and so on.

In traditional marketing, communication was one-way. The brand is the

sender and the consumers were the recipients. Today, a brand can achieve
two-way communication by posting about a product or service, a promotion,
etc. on its social media accounts and asking followers to give their opinions
about it. One-way communication is not without its advantages. It is a much
simpler process and may still be suitable for specific situations.

Nowadays, brands must maintain contact with their consumers and

practice social listening, so it is essential to incorporate two-way
communication into their marketing strategies.
 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Two-Way

Communication
 
Advantages of Two-Way Communication
 Two-way communication fosters greater trust and
transparency. Social networks have put brands within reach of
consumers, so consumers expect to be able to interact with them. A
company that refuses to engage in dialogue with its consumers can
generate distrust.

 Two-way communication humanizes brands. Conversations on

social networks tend to have a more relaxed, friendly tone than
corporate communications. By conversing with customers, brands
show the people behind them. In the end, all of this positively
influences brand perception and purchasing decisions.

 Two-way communication helps you to get to know consumers

better. You can ask your followers questions and get their answers.
This can be a very easy way to obtain valuable information. By
doing this you can get a better understanding of the opinions,
concerns, and suggestions of your customers and apply all this
data to improve your products and customer service.

 Two-way communication makes consumers feel more valued.

Traditional advertising and information saturation can make people
feel like numbers. If a company makes an effort to reach out, learn
their opinion, and make changes based on it, users will feel
included and will therefore trust the brand more.

 Two-way communication allows you to join the

conversation and make the brand relevant to current affairs,
incorporating your point of view on the issues of the moment.
  Two-way communication makes it possible to detect and
prevent reputational crises. Half of two-way communication is
listening. If you listen to your customers, you can quickly detect
potential dissatisfaction and resolve it before the problem
escalates.

 Two-way communication improves results. By having

continuous feedback from customers, a brand can adapt its
strategies to provide them with the maximum value and this
consequently translates into sales.

Disadvantages of Two-Way Communication

Undoubtedly, two-way communication is an asset, but that does not mean

that it does not have any drawbacks. Before implementing your two-way
communication strategy, take these aspects into account.

 Two-way communication requires being available and willing

to attend to the conversation. In some cases, users expect
brands to respond to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If that is
not your case, you need to make your availability very clear.

 Two-way communication implies a commitment to the

audience. You have to be willing to give consistent, transparent
answers that fit with your corporate values.

 Two-way communication brings with it the risk of attracting

negative comments. It is possible that an inappropriate response
could generate a reputation crisis.
Before you start interacting on social media, you need to work out a
communication strategy that is aligned with your marketing objectives  and
covers different possible scenarios. For example, how to react to criticism or
complaints.
 

How to Generate Two-Way Communication

on Social Networks
Social networks are the ideal channel for two-way communication since they
encourage conversations. The first step to generating this type of
communication is to decide which networks your brand will be on.

A company page on LinkedIn is not the same as a Twitter account. Each

network has a different audience profile and tone of communication.
Therefore, you will have to study who your buyer persona is and where they
spend time online in order to use the appropriate tone and communication
strategy.
Once you have created your company profiles on social media, here are
some ways you can generate interaction.

 Humanize your online presence. A corporate logo and

publications that look like press releases are not the best way to
establish two-way communication. Therefore, try to speak in the
first person, put a face to the people behind your account, and
adopt a friendly tone.

 Welcome your new followers. This is a very simple practice, but it

can help get your customer relationship off to a good start and
 show that your brand is there from the beginning. If the number of
new followers is very high, an automated greeting can help, but the
idea is to personalize the interaction as much as possible.

 Talk about current affairs in your industry. Commenting on

current affairs and viral news is always popular on the social
network, so why not join the conversation? Try to relate your
comments to your brand but don't force it or it will look unnatural.

 Use humor. When talking to people on social networks, it is

important to use a tone that is consistent with the channel you are
using, while taking into account the personality of your brand.
Humor is one of the most effective resources to go viral!

 Ask questions. Imagine meeting a person at a party who only talks

about themselves and doesn't ask anything about you. You
wouldn't want to talk to them long, right? Well, it's exactly the same
on social media. If you want to start conversations with your
followers and learn more about them, ask them questions!

 Take surveys. Polls are a more organized way to gather

information about your followers' preferences. Most social networks
include native polling tools, so users can give you feedback with
just one click. In addition, surveys allow you to easily process data
about your followers' opinions and use it to make decisions.
 Respond to your followers. It is normal for your followers to make
requests, suggestions, and even complaints. Responding to them is
essential to show that you are listening. In addition, these
 interactions provide you with a lot of valuable information about
your customers' concerns.

 Measure results. In digital marketing, no action is complete without

evaluating the results. Use social media analytics to see which
posts have generated the most interaction and positive reactions
and try to see what the patterns are. This way, you can refine your
two-way communication to be more in touch with consumers.

What is a customer-managed relationship?

A customer-managed relationship (CMR) is a relationship in which a business
uses a methodology, software, apps and perhaps internet capability to
encourage the customer to control access to information and ordering.

what are the three functions of customer-managed relationship?

CMR consists of the following three functions:

1. Customers should own their own information, including their profile,

transaction history and any inferred information such as marital
history and even behavior.

2. Customers should have access to this information across all

departments.

3. The entire system should be designed with the customer's needs

and feelings having priority or equal weight to the company's needs
and desires.

The goal of CMR Is to improve customer experience and maximize customer

satisfaction. CMR allows a customer to define how they communicate with the
company, what services or products they will purchase and how they will pay
for them.
CMR is an attempt by enterprises to change with the times by
addressing customer demand for more control. The pillars of
customer-managed relationship
Following are some of the key ideas that guide CMR business strategy:

 Effective communication and follow-up. CMR involves keeping in touch

with existing and potential customers in a way that is best for the
customers. This might involve having conversations with customers,
redefining the sales process or investing in marketing automation.

 Building brand loyalty. CMR requires understanding the needs of the

customers and what they want from a company. For this, companies need
to look at the customer journey and determine the potential value that
customers are seeking from the buying experience.

 Flexibility. CMR dictates that a business shouldn't blindly go for

profitability but provide services to customers at the right price. While this
might risk revenues for the company in the short run, the increase in new
customers and customer engagement will reap benefits in the long run.

 Optimize for customer happiness. The goal of CMR is to keep the

customer happy. This will require market research and training of
customer support staff to maximize customer happiness. For example,
some customers might prefer real-time phone calls while others want to
receive updates through SMS or email marketing. The sales reps can
inquire about such preferences.

 Forecasting. This involves using management tools to forecast customer

behavior through the entire customer lifecycle.