Businesses Need To Use Social Media

Years ago marketers researching consumers’ motivating factors in purchasing laundry detergent discovered that serial Tide users chose their brand not because of its effectiveness but because it is the brand their parents used. Most interesting was that their loyalty was not born out of habit but out of the relationship they had formed with the detergent.

Tide’s owners, Proctor and Gamble, then adjusted their marketing campaign to enhance consumers’ relationship with their product rather than its performance.

Since then, social media has developed and affords businesses the opportunity to reach consumers on a personal level to facilitate this formation of personal relationships.

Today’s marketers who have been successful in navigating PR in an information age have learned to abolish barriers presented by traditional PR in favor of transparency. Blogging, micro-blogging and social networking sites provide the opportunity for business representatives to connect directly with consumers.

One of the companies that has embraced social media is Adobe, which encourages and sponsors blogs written by their employees about industry developments. John Nack, a Product Manager for Photoshop at Adobe, has one of these Adobe-sponsored blogs; but, rather than touting Adobe’s products, he subjectively analyzes industry trends, products, and even posts reviews on popular books and movies. Yesterday’s post discussed and defended Adobe Flash with candidness that would make most traditional PR professionals cringe, but that resonates with today’s consumers.

Because Nack presents his opinions and feelings in a manner that people trust, he has become a trusted resource for information on graphic design and photo editing software. It would be difficult for companies to put a value on having masses of consumers know and trust their company based on the thoughts of one individual. The popularity of social media makes this possible.

Not only is it important for executives to communicate with consumers, but the ability for a consumer to respond to company representatives in a forum they are used to is vital to the health of a longstanding and loyal customer-company relationship. Consumers would feel more comfortable doing business with a company they know is accessible through the channels of communication they trust and are familiar with.

There are many other reasons to use social media. It’s ease, low cost and high distribution cannot be matched by traditional media but perhaps the most compelling reason of all is that social media enables direct interaction between consumers and companies that has never before been possible.

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