Social media has become mainstream and as someone said: every media becoming social. I always think some brands and their attitudes to social media, content marketing, management. It is clear from every angle, except from view, that many brands are overlooking the “social” before the social media. It’s this that sets social media aside from other forms of media. To excel in social media, you start out with cultivating a cultural media mindset. Most have not understood what this platform offers.
All that we are still doing is majorly titled toward social media abuse which is dependant on advertising and shameless ego promotion. This affects corporate brands more though.
Most have concentrated mainly on mainstream traditional media. They have neglected or can we say they’re unaware that the only method to survive in this time is a two-way communication media which embraces not only the original but online media platform. As we all know, the present trend today is for brands to first find out about their brides-customers, manage to get thier attention through the use of social media platforms like blogging, Youtube, Xing, Facebook, Del.ici.ous, Bookmarking, RSS, Podcasting, videocasting, Wikis among a great many other available online media.
The evolution of those new media has opened opportunity to find opinion, interact, court, date and offers irresistible proposal that will hook the bride. Today clients are no further purchasing one mode fits all offer by the original media. Some corporate brands here appear to hinge non-participation in online community building on such excuses that we are not even online, neither are there recognized consumer fora which have major convergence of consumers online. Also no regulatory authority here pays focus on or gives any focus on whatever they’ve to express can. In addition they claim that online forums here haven’t any impacts on corporate performance. Some also claim that social media is alien to us. My answer is that social media is not alien. The actual fact remains that many things have been part of us only that we do not accurately labeled them until the westerners help us out.
The thought of social media, content marketing is rooted in cultural rituals where a couple gets engaged before they could start dating. The process require that suitor’s intention needs to be established through family contacts, integrity checked and a cogent promised is made he is interested in a serous relationship and not flings. Without these background checks, no-one officially allows the intending couple to begin dating. If this really is violated then, the bride to be would be disciplined.
Drawing a simultaneous in this ancient ritual, the customers want the brand today showing that what matters is her, not money making. The customers wish to be sure that out of arrays of suitors-products, services- your brand usually takes the initiative of starting a discussion, the client wants to be certain your brand is not merely flirting, shopping for short flings but a genuine relationship that will enhance her lifestyle. Brand through social media, content and social marketing put up a bate by loading the best words inside their contents to convince, educate, entertain the bride that they’re out to create her life better even before selling anything.
Customer desires to see simply how much of your intellectual property is likely to be made available without charges. The customer wants to find out you’re a giver. Certainly one of their love languages is gift sharing. A giver without string attached always takes the show. Social media, content marketing requires plenty of commitment. It takes time before social media and content marketing make huge impact. Any brand that could show advanced of commitment in social media will always carry the day.
Typical case studies of brands with efficient use of social media include Tony Hseih. Tony followers in Twitter today is finished one forty million. Hseih may be the managing Director of Zappos.com. Tony through his ‘tweet’ has course to meet up with customers at a club while many in his position will rather hide beneath the guise of busy schedule. Tony uses Twitter to build interaction with customers; he uses twitter to fix problems for clients. The strength of Tony Hseih and Zappos communities has been used to strengthen relationships with Zappo’s brand offline. Zappos client freely gives their ideas about what they want. This aids, contributes to co- creation of brands products, services.
As busy as Richard Branson of Virgin group is, he also maintains a twitter account. He has used his twitter account to answer questions from angry customers along with virgin potentials. The virgin group also comes with an integrated website which allows news update, blog among others. Southwest Airlines has used social media to build strong connection that impacts on the brand’s offline interaction
An example of the use of social media to spread messages and connection was recently demonstrated by Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. As we’re all aware, it absolutely was once insinuated he killed Michael Jackson through drug overdose. About a week ago, he used YouTube video to spread his area of the case. This video spread across the web along with mainstream media. Popularity of virtual community has been soaring high with increased people attending to from academics and marketing communications practitioner discussing it beforehand countries, yet Nigeria brands have assumed ‘I do not care attitude’ ;.Nations and brands aren’t considered backward just because of their location but based on attitudes, disposition to the use of technology that will aid progress. Building emotional connection, loyalty with the brand is becoming an easy thing through social media.
Social media has changed into a great platform to identify with, interact, communicate brand element. This often starts in online forum and cause offline beneficial relationship. Today, nearly three billion of the seven billion potentials are now actually connected in social media platforms. Agreed the ratio is still slow here but the number is increasing daily. Through social media brands can ignite confidence in the hearts of the bride, build thought leadership. Your brand competitors may have better product, services but will surely lose out to you if you’re able to build strong connection together when you question them to purchase through massive advertisement.
If your brand can share enough information, answers to concerns and prove that you’re on the verge of seriously neglecting your own personal best interest, of tight schedules, in order to serve these greedy, needy brides that desire your brands be much more open, honest together which can be the essence of social media. Social media do not allow cover ups, unnecessary protection of corporate brand’s failures. I am of the opinion that if our banking industry’s Managing Directors have already been active in social media, there’s probability of gaining public sympathy instead of the anger, tantrum they’re now receiving from various angles. Their followers would have been able to defend them and take appropriate position that may have given them soft landing in this trying period.
Since our brands have concentrated using one kind of media, mainstream, tell me why should their brides not stop their useless bragging through advertising? Tell me how come it hard for brands n our environment to see handwriting on the wall that their brides now desire their authentic voices that are not coloured with jargons of self- serving moneybags? The brands’ brides are now actually also afraid; skeptical of marketing. Why if the brides be loyal when the part of trust is shaking?
Having established that let’s now examine proper method of participating in social media which can be now being exchanged for web.2.0. For brands to actively be involved in social media, brands need certainly to observe, listen, find clients’ hibernating medium. In achieving this, brand should first define its social media strategy through careful evaluation of brand’s resources, analyze the market, and identify objectives. Having done this, brand must carefully pick or access platforms that fit their goals. This may inform the decision to operate a blog or simply to be involved in other forums like Twitter, Facebook, discussion board, social media bookmarking, stumbleupon among others. Make sure to realize that such platforms are employed by your niche audience. Identify the utmost effective influencers of your industry online through recognitions given to their opinions, comments, awards etc.
To achieve this effectively, brand may consider creating the career of community or social media/knowledge management manager or hire consultant who has track records in skills like community management, online reputation management, monitoring, tracking, podcast, video cast, web links etc. These skills do not require a programmer’s knowledge and in actual fact, they’re employed by customer relations, brand, and Public relations experts. The only real requirement is passion that’s backed with proven results. The said manger or consultant must understands forum rules, reputation software, know how to distribute contents without creating offense as this might be counter productive. Great ability to create qualitative content for blogs, create profiles and claim such blogs in online directories is also e acheter des abonnés ssential. Social media, content marketing, management sometimes appears as collection of open-sourced, interactive and user- controlled online application used to expand the experiences, knowledge and market power of the users as participants in business and social processes, the social media landscape is basically about conversation before any marketing campaign.
Brands must therefore consider Rajesh Setty’s suggestion so it must demonstrate that your brand cares, is curious to find out what is the concern of the customers, contribute, make sure this content may be worth their attention, clarify issues, build conversation that will cause strong relationship, generate plenty of creativity, demonstrate the brand’s character and values cherished, build community, tribe, brings change, instill courage and be highly commitment to a cause its believe in.
Allow me to conclude this piece by highlighting how brand will start be involved in social media and content marketing. Content marketing is a skill of understanding what your customers’ want, have to know and the science of delivering it to them in a good and compelling way. The content needs to be doing a good and compelling way. To begin, the brand has to build trust and credibility. That is huge work. This becomes easy if your brand can take care to tune in to customers first. By that brand discovers their problems and this content is therefore tailored to provide solution.
Avoid talking a lot of about your brand or your expertise as much as I actually do know the fact that your brand need to ascertain the line that your brand may be worth their attentions. This could make your brand’s efforts become suspect. Your web visitors want educational content without initial marketing spin. The content also needs to be compelling, entertaining to earn the scarcest entity on the wed- time/patience. Great content must guides, clarifies, enlightened and connect. The language of this content has to stay tune with your industry. Contents that solve problems drive traffic and increases sale rate.