Today we have a guest blog from Elizabeth Andreini:
The precipitous rise of social media and its
idol worship status in the press has led CEOs and other executives to wonder whether
social media really justifies the investment of time and corporate resources to
support it. After all who really cares that in the last 30 days the number one
topic trending on Twitter was “Happy Easter”?! (Yes, that was the top trending
topic as I was writing this blog.)
But what gets lost in all the frenzy
about social media is that this is just another means of communication. Social
media content is just information and opinions shared online with others, in
many cases people they don’t know and have never met. Online opinions and social
media statements about your brand probably already exist today. Comments can be
made about your company, its products/services and your customer service by current,
prospective and former customers, and even employees (and former employees) at
any time. This information is your corporate “digital brand tattoo” that
influences what everyone believes about you and your products.
The Word of Mouth Marketing Association
(www.womma.org) will
tell you that consumers’ purchase decisions are driven by:
- 54% Word of Mouth
- 47 % information from a Web site
- 42% email sent by a friend
- 31% online review
Online reviews can be positive, raving
about a great product and brand they love, or negative, blasting poor customer
service. Regardless of the perspective, almost half (49%) of Americans believe
online “word of mouth” or reviewer information to be highly credible, and are
increasingly searching for and using that information when making purchase
decisions. While 66% of individuals’ brand-related conversations are “mostly
positive,” 8% of individuals’ brand-related conversations are “mostly
negative.” Can you afford to ignore this online information and not manage what
is being shared about your brand?
(Research source: http://womma.org/word/2011/10/16/infographic-the-word-and-the-world-of-customers/)
Learn what is being said in social
media by setting up online alerts for your company and product names to track
when they appear. If a negative comment appears step in, fix the problem and
placate the negative opinion (potentially getting an updated positive response)
or at least do damage control before it spreads and hurts your brand. Then when
you are ready expand your efforts across online forums and social media sites such
as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Yelp among others to proactively engage
with your customers. You’ll increase your number of online fans and the word
will get out. See you online!
As the President of Accelerate Marketing,
LLC, Elizabeth Andreini, is the “secret weapon” CEOs turn to at key growth
points when they need to transform marketing and product management and grow it
to the next level critical for revenue and profitability. In addition to
providing experienced executive insight and guidance, Elizabeth often comes in
as an interim CMO or VP to provide the hands-on leadership needed to rearchitect
marketing and product management and improve execution from the inside.
Elizabeth Andreini, founder & president of Accelerate
Marketing, LLC
Accelerate Marketing, LLC
Twitter: @acceler8mkting
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