Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’
Is social media failing to connect with businesses?
In an article published by Alison Diana of Informationweek.com, the majority of consumers want to interact with businesses via social media outlets. However, less than one-third of companies actually have any type of social media strategy in place. Thus, we have a problem. So, then why aren’t businesses picking up on their consumers’ desire to connect?
This information on the many missed opportunities to use social media in business comes from a recent report put forth by Siemens Enterprise Communications in conjunction with leading research firm, Yankee Group. In the study, results showed that the average customer satisfaction with current business interactions via social media was just 65 percent while one third of businesses do not allow the use of social media at work or aren’t aware of their company’s participation in social networking.
Tsk. Tsk.
Overlooking social networking or merely passing social media off as a “waste of time” or boiling it down to goofing off on Facebook or Twitter is hardly the case. If used properly, social media can draw in tons of traffic to a website or help put a business that would have otherwise been an ‘unknown’ on the map for the first time.
All you have to do to see social media in action with a business is look at the recent ad campaign put forth by Old Spice. Old Spice found a clever and creative way to employ the use of several top social networking site: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube (all user-generated) in order to strengthen their brand. Some may view Twitter as pointless, but when you look at what Old Spice did with their Twitter page, they actually took the time to interact with their followers. It was the perfect example of listening to the consumer and then responding (in real time) to their demand.
Selected highlights from the study
- 70 percent of consumers want access to company experts and support via social media channels and trust company information provided to them via their social networks.
- Nearly 60 percent of customers feel company outreach via social media would improve their loyalty to that company.
- Most customers feel that companies should be monitoring social media for customer feedback.
- 50 percent of respondents use social media daily or several times a day.
- Nearly 70 percent of employees feel they need better tools to track and manage social media for business, and would like the ability to initiate a Web conference automatically from a chat discussion at work, inviting people from within their social and work networks.
To read more about the study, click here. In the meantime, consider what sorts of social media practices your business is employing at the moment. What could you be doing better? What sorts of demands do your customers/clients want? Perhaps the most important thing to consider is the power that social media has to leverage your business above the competition. Never underestimate this!
(Digital Journal via InformationWeek)
How to use social media for small business
If you are a small business, or if you are thinking of owning a small business, then having a web presence is extremely important. Not only does building a web presence get your brand seen by potential customers, but it also allows you to build up your online credibility as an owner and as someone who is knowledgeable about what it is that they are selling.
At the very minimum, study up on the latest social networking sites. You won’t have to look very far before it becomes abundantly clear which ones you should be using for your business. Figure out how to create a ‘fan page’ on Facebook or how to create and (more importantly) use a Twitter account to get into direct contact with your customers. Check out the following video for more pointers on how to use social media to leverage small businesses.
Has Old Spice Created a Renewed Interest in Social Media?
It seems as if Isaiah Mustafa has created quite the media frenzy with the recent string of Old Spice commercials as well as his clever use of Twitter and YouTube.
It seems that it wasn’t enough that Old Spice came up with a few clever commercials, but now closer attention is being paid to those of us who already spend countless hours on YouTube looking up ridiculous cat videos as well as self help videos. Thanks to some clever marketing by Old Spice, countless businesses and entrepreneurs are recognizing the sheer power that social media, social networking and viral marketing can have on an audience.
In a recent (and clever) marketing campaign, Isaiah Mustafa used Twitter to respond in real time to tweets set forth by Old Spice followers on Twitter. The result was a hilarious string of YouTube videos complete with props and sarcasm. But in the bigger scheme of things, a marketing genius was born.
It is only a matter of time before others start following suit with similar campaigns. And at the end of the day, we may just have Old Spice to thank for it. Check out one of the videos below, after the break. You can also read more about the Old Spice marketing campaign and how the videos were made on ReadWriteWeb.
