I believe that this is a true statement because many consumers like to gain additional information about products before they purchase them. For example, Mercedes Motoring is a small operation out of California that restores classic Mercedes automobiles. They have a couple of artsy videos posted on Vimeo that detail the time and energy put into restoring classics. They also have a Facebook page full of photos that show the finished product. Their customer testimonials are filled with praise from purchasers all over the country. The majority of customers purchase these cars without seeing them in person. All that they have to go by is what is seen on Mercedes Motoring's personal site and social media sites. Although Mercedes Motoring does not have many competitors, a portion of their success is due to social media. Through social media they are able to capture a worldwide audience. As long as Mercedes Motoring continues to put the same time and effort into restoring cars, I do not see this statement changing.
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With social media, I agree, companies can engage stakeholders to learn about their products.
ReplyDeleteTo support your case I would definitely pull from one of the articles you embedded about stakeholder engage positives:
75% are more likely to be heavy spenders on music
47% are more likely to be heavy spenders on clothing, shoes and accessories
26% are more likely to give their opinion on politics and current events
44% are more likely to give an opinion on television programs
It seems to me when people have it at a click of a button, the decision is easier. Our world is all about convenience.
The video clips are a selling point to this discussion in themselves! Very intriguing to watch and get excited about social marketing.
Video is an effective method of creating brand awareness and sharing valuable information. A successful social media campaign that has been effective is Geico Insurance. If you look on Youtube there are millions of views for Geico Insurance videos. From the cavemen, to the gecko lizard, and my favorite Maxwell the pig, Geico has done a good job of branding. Although I do not use any of their services their videos are easily recognizable. For instance if someone was to see the gecko lizard they automatically think of Geico. This is all possible due to the addition of video.
ReplyDeleteJohn, my question is, if the company is recognizable, but this does not convert you into a customer, how can they measure the success of their $$ spent on SM?
DeleteI do not know if it is possible to quantify the effectiveness of a social media campaign unless there are benchmarks in place from the beginning. Even then I do not know if the results would be truly valid since there are multiple variables involved.
DeleteIf a new customer came to your brick and mortar store, you would bend over backwards to help them find what they were looking for, and invite them to come back again, that is, if you were a good salesperson. You would also try to engage the visitor and try to give them your store's philosophy, pitch your positive side to them, etc.
ReplyDeleteNow comes the age of multimedia, and the internet combined where internet providing a larger audience and more chances of interactions with the customer than in a regular store. It is easier to get people to walk into your virtual store with the click of a mouse than to a b&m store where customers have to make an effort to get up and physically go to the store. Just as we could have personable face to face encounters with the visitors to the store, getting cues from how conversations were moving along, we can now through social media try to capture, engage, and maybe convert visitors to our virtual store fronts,( aka, websites) to loyal customers.
Ayesha B