by Digital Fire
The dawn of social media ushered in a new way for people to connect to each other and to brands in the online space. Where before, email and mobile text messages made out the bulk of interpersonal communication, social media now ranks as one of the foremost ways in which people connect, communicate and share with each other. The biggest, most comprehensive social network in the world is undoubtedly Facebook –at 950 million users it is a vast and active community. However social media is not just a communication tool. It is also a virtual representation of the world around us. On social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, real-world events and companies are played out and represented with people from all over the world ‘tuned in’ to share in whatever is happening or being said.
Digital reality
For many people the digital social experience that social networks such as Facebook provides has become more engaging and even enticing than real-world experiences. Friendships and relationships are fostered and maintained through the constant stream of social activity that is fed into the newsfeeds of a user’s profile. Status updates serve to inform a user’s social network of his/her whereabouts and activities without necessarily eliciting engagement from their social group. This serious dedication to social media has necessitated brands to not only become virtually present on social media platforms, but to actively engage with their consumers.
Social media conversation
Instead of a one-sided broadcast, social media is by definition social, conversational and interactive. One of the most dramatic changes that brands have had to make in terms of adapting to the realm of social media has been constant engagement with their consumers. This is of course an opportunity that provides as much positive potential as negative. While brands can now cultivate deeper, more meaningful connections to their customers, any slip-ups and negative feedback will also now be dealt with on this platform. While this does pose challenges for brands it is important to remember the principle of conversation: listening and responding is key to maintaining healthy engagement with consumers on social networks.
Customer service
Social media has connected the whole world and that means that people now not only prefer, but expect brands to be available to them on these online platforms. Delivering prompt and efficient customer service should of course be a priority for all brands and while most companies have systems in place to offer customer support, studies show that an increasing number of consumers are foregoing these channels in favour of social media. Facebook’s recent Timeline update for brand pages now allows users to direct personal messages to brands – a feature which will become indispensable in terms of allowing brands to directly communicate with consumers and helping them solve their issues or answer their questions.