Social Media: a place to innovate

In class this week we have been discussing social media trends. It is interesting to look at the growing use in social media from the other side and evaluate how to use it effectively as a business, not just a user. We read two chapters from Groundswell over the week, which I thought were pretty insightful. Although, as a side note, it was incredibly interesting that at the time the article was written Twitter was just an emerging trend. This just goes to show that social media is an evolving field, and it is important to master the basic skills of reaching consumers through social media, because the actual social media tools are subject to change on a daily basis.  

Reading the chapters, there are many insightful tips on how to harness the power of social media. I will go through a few of the different social media channels, giving a summary of the power and how I think they are best used. A company can be engaged in all forms of social media, and this may help both the customer experience as well as help them gain insights about the customer. I will show that through the different mediums, it is possible to know you customer better, and help them get to know you better at the same time.           

Blogs:

There is a lot of power in effectively using blogs. One important implication of blogs is that your customer voice and thoughts are out in the world. There is not a better way to know your persona than to understand their voice and their life narrative. Blogs can also be an important tool to see what people think about your brand and products. Using the “blogosphere” you can gain important insights into customer perception.

              Going one step further, blogs can also be used to enhance customer experiences. One example is using your blog to release important news updates. By engaging the consumer online, you can create a richer experience. Another important way to add to experience is by commenting on customer blogs. By knowing the level of personal involvement the company has, they are more likely to build loyalty. Blogs also rank highly on the Google search algorithm, making them come up higher in the search results, and thus allowing you customers and likely customers to find your company more readily.   

Social networks

            Social networks are increasing in interest not only for consumers, but also for businesses. The key to social networks is that you can reach your customer without just placing ads. You can know your customer on a personal level, and provide tools for them to connect with you. It looks like a rising trend in social media is searching through sites such as Facebook. People naturally trust the opinions of their friends and peers. By allowing searching for topics, and a question and answer applications, people’s opinions on social networks are easier to access. Much like blogs, companies should know what the buzz about their product is, as well as make efforts to connect with the consumer on a personal level. Social networks also provide a medium to give promotions and control demand in unique ways, such as offering a one-day coupon.  

Twitter

            Groundswell didn’t contain a lot of information on how to effectively use Twitter because it was still a new trend at the time. I think there are plenty of examples to show effective use of Twitter and likewise an ineffective use of Twitter. I think a lot of companies assume that you can’t really go wrong, but you most definitely can. I have followed multiple companies, only to click “unfollow” because the tweets did not engage me at all. Company news and updates are useful, but when given in the technical language of the company it is less interesting. There is such a thing as tweeting too often as well. For companies, the social media strategy for Twitter should focus on delivering a consistent message to consumers, and using tools to peak their interest. For example, the TV show Glee uses tweets from each of its characters to build interest in upcoming episodes. I think this is a fun and creative way to connect with people.    

It is important to note that there is more to social media than just effectively utilizing the different channels. I think the biggest piece of advice that I can give companies today, is that you have to have a finger on the social media pulse. It is not enough to follow the trends. Although knowing what is going on currently is beneficial, the real benefit of social media comes from being ahead of the curve. Social media success comes from companies that forge their own path. When considering a social media strategy, it is just as important to reevaluate the structure of your company to ensure that you are encouraging creativity.

            I searched around for a good example of a company who used innovation and creativity to leverage social media trends. I found this article in Forbes about effective social media campaigns. The article is talking about how Old Spice (a P&G brand) used social media in conjunction with its recent ad campaign featuring Isaiah Mustafa. Old Spice encouraged consumers to post questions to Twitter, Facebook and other Social media channels. The character of Mustafa, the Old Spice man, responded promptly to these questions. It was an effective and creative way to create buzz around the product, and engage the customer through many different channels. You can use social media of all kinds to know the customer personally, and understand what the general feeling is about your company.