#Social media: Power in the hands of the people by Dianne Bayley
Among other things, it’s been called a “fad” and a “waste of time”, but social media is a phenomenon that isn’t going away, says Dianne Bayley, founder of infORM.
It’s the Marmite syndrome: You either love it or hate it. For the most part, those who “hate” social media have never tried it – or are trying to find ways to monetise it, and it isn’t working.
While figures are changing so rapidly it’s hard to keep up, it is said that Facebook now has around 600 million users, while Twitter has some 75 million. YouTube – the site that enables user-generated videos to be shared with the world - has millions of hits every day and has even scared the governments of China, Turkey and Thailand into blocking viewership by their citizens at various stages.
In August 2009, Erik Qualman, a writer for Socialnomics.net, asked: “Is social media a fad or the biggest shift since the industrial revolution?” Truth is, it’s big. And if it’s a fad, it doesn’t seem to be losing growth momentum. The power of the “spoken word” has been put firmly into the hands of the people . . . and they’re not letting go.
Business dilemma
As more and more businesses set up Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, many do so without much consideration of how the medium works. Others refuse to get into the space, for fear of bad news about their company or brand being available to millions in mere seconds.
So, what’s the solution? Having a social media presence is not about selling product to the masses. In fact, businesses should heed the warning that trying to do a “hard sell” is not well accepted by users of the medium. When you think social media, think “word of mouth” marketing. Think “listening” instead of speaking. That’s all it is. Just as in “real life”, if your service is lousy, your press is lousy. But the social media platforms – managed properly – can turn a bad user experience into a positive for your company.
A 2009 Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 internet consumers from 50 countries showed that recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising; with 90% of consumers surveyed noting that they trust recommendations from people they know, and 70% saying they “trusted consumer opinions posted online”.
So, what of the comments that aren’t complementary? Here’s where reputation management is key; and anyone who implements a social media strategy without having an experienced manager monitoring site activity is either looking for trouble – or not maximising the opportunities online affords them to be seen to have the customer’s best interest at heart.
Consider this: You’re irritated with service from your bank. You go onto the bank’s Facebook page and tell the 3 000 other users what happened. Within minutes, you have mail in your inbox from a customer service representative, offering to sort out the issue. More importantly, the smart monitor is going to respond to your post, on the site, in full view of everyone who has read your complaint. That’s management. The days of ignoring customer complaints are over. Deleting a negative post is a huge blunder you don’t want to suffer the consequences of. But the opportunity to regenerate goodwill by acting smart and fast can be invaluable.
Socialnomics says that 80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices; updated anywhere, anytime. Imagine, it says, what that means for bad customer experiences? Well, it means they’ll be shared the minute an unhappy customer walks out of your store and – if you’re not monitoring the various social media platforms - you may only know about it through a drop off in sales or subscriptions.
Should you have a social media presence? As part of your broader marketing initiatives, yes. Should you have a presence that isn’t being constantly updated and monitored? You’d be asking for trouble.
Contact infORM at http://www.facebook.com/infORMonline
Years to Reach 50 million Users: Radio - 38 Years; TV - 13 Years; internet - 4 Years; iPod - 3 Years . . . Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months… iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months ~ Socialnomics.net


