From: Dr. Advertiser, M.D.
This was a very well written article. While I do agree with you on some of the statements I also disagree. It would be nice if there were no side…
From: Yeah, Right
Very well written. I could not agree more there is no such thing as a "happy period" other than they confirm you are not pregnant. These ads are probably…
From: The Killer Prius
Green is a new trend that is often viewed as boring or "hippie". Never having seen these commercials, going off of your description, it seems that…
Social Media is often viewed as a new medium for people to re-establish old friendships and quickly share information with friends. It allows celebrities to connect with fans and provides a forum for the average Joe who wants to express an opinion. However, it has become much more than a sounding board for those with too much time on their hands. It is an effective tool that is currently being used by many companies to interact with their customers.
It is true that a happy customer has always been a valuable asset to companies. In this age, it is even truer. Not only because of the likelihood of return business, but also because many happy customers often function as brand ambassadors on social media sites like Facebook and twitter. Some companies have also leveraged YouTube as an opportunity to provide video content that can include product reviews, demonstrations, and video tutorials. YouTube tutorials are effective because customers can access easy to follow video instructions. Their potential to reduce customer service calls also presents a significant cost savings for companies. Social media sites are a much more cost effective way to quickly reach a large audience. Additionally, they allow companies to respond to negative perceptions so that they can help shape their story.
For market researchers, it can often be a hurdle to find respondents willing to take surveys. However, a research executive from Procter and Gamble recently acknowledged that consumers are more willing to be engaged in a social forum. The potential for two-way interaction is much stronger than that of a traditional self-administered survey. While customers may seem more eager to participate, social network sites have been slow to provide analytics and data. LinkedIn toyed with the idea of providing business to business survey samples in 2008, but quickly backed away. Facebook and twitter rely on third party vendors to provide metrics on fan pages. Indeed, there is much to be resolved with regard to obtaining analytics in a social environment. However, social media has a bright future for marketing research. Existing demand from both consumers and businesses in the popular evolving medium make it inevitable.
What is the best use of Social Media in marketing?
Graphic Credit:
Twitter.com
