Social Media
Social Media is Driving Enterprises to Transform How They Communicate
Social media is amplifying the voice of the consumer and changing the way people make decisions.
Consumers now research product choices online and then use social media channels like Twitter
and Facebook to ask for recommendations and make purchase decisions. Often, these consumers
make a final decision without ever contacting the company, instead relying on friends, family and
social colleagues for opinions and guidance. In the past, focus groups and consumer reports (e.g.
product rating publications) have been the primary method for companies to understand consumer
sentiment and opinions. With social media, this new, online dialogue about products, brands, issues
and businesses are now visible to the world.
Social media is replacing traditional
outlets like focus groups and
consumer reports in enabling
businesses to understand consumer
sentiment. It also has the distinct
advantage of being both immediate
and interactive, giving businesses
the ability to understand consumer
sentiment right now. Modern,
successful organizations must
understand that this sea change has
occurred and adapt, and they must
climb the social maturity curve (See
Figure 1
Figure 1) quickly to put themselves in
a position of competitive advantage
relative to their peers. This should be accomplished through the use of a fully-integrated solution
that can help them understand what their consumers are saying and interact with those consumers
effectively in this ever-evolving, increasingly socially connected world.
An equally dramatic change is how social media can amplify the voices of these consumers at a scale
unheard of in business history. The enterprise has been displaced from a relative position of control
to a situation where it is just one voice in millions. A “broadcast only” mentality to try to control brand
reputation is no longer viable.
Consumer conversations are happening online, in real-time, and without geographic boundaries. A
social colleague in Japan can be an influencer to a potential buyer in California. Consumers now expect
that they can give or receive knowledge instantly and, as a result, sentiment relative to a given product
can shift very rapidly. Consumers trust their social peers more than they do the corporation. Now,
consumers with similar interests can communicate with each other in communities, forums and by other
social media related methods in real time around the world.
Social media is replacing traditional
outlets like focus groups and
consumer reports in enabling
businesses to understand consumer
sentiment. It also has the distinct
advantage of being both immediate
and interactive, giving businesses
the ability to understand consumer
sentiment right now. Modern,
successful organizations must
understand that this sea change has
occurred and adapt, and they must
climb the social maturity curve (See
Figure 1
Figure 1) quickly to put themselves in
a position of competitive advantage
relative to their peers. This should be accomplished through the use of a fully-integrated solution
that can help them understand what their consumers are saying and interact with those consumers
effectively in this ever-evolving, increasingly socially connected world.