Dannie Ghazal

Social media provides the consumer a direct line of communication with the brand–in a time when no one wants to make phone calls and be put on hold for hours, sending a DM takes seconds. How fast the brand responds can also influence whether the consumer wants to make the purchase or be involved with the brand. Consumers expect information instantly and they expect it to be accurate as well. “Customers want to feel heard on social media. According to research done by Sprout Social, 83% of respondents like when brands respond to questions, and 68% like when brands join conversations. Being responsive on social media clearly makes a difference; after all, 48% of customers make a purchase with a brand who is responsive to its customers and prospects on social media.” (Amaresan, 2020)

I have personally put off reaching out to brands to discuss issues I’ve had because the only way to get to them is via phone and I have no patience to be put on hold and have to explain myself ten different times as I continuously get transferred. If these brands had social media channels, I’d be able to reach out to them directly and hope for a quick response.  Social media platforms allow brand supporters to discuss, share and converse in their support of the brand. It’s a great way to engage with the consumers and really tap into their thoughts–what’s working and what’s not working? What do they hope to see change? What are some obstacles they are facing with the products? There really isn’t any other way to collect this type of data and that’s what makes social media such a great platform for businesses. But having a social media platform isn’t enough–businesses need to listen to what their consumers are saying and then act on it.

Hootesuites Tony Tran defines social listening in the following, “Social listening is when you track your social media platforms for mentions and conversations related to your brand. Then you analyze them for insights to discover opportunities to act.”

The analysis can provide essential data and drive the brand to make changes to either increase sales, increase brand engagement, promote a campaign or whatever other marketing goals the company has set. Consumers are the driving force behind successful businesses–so it’s incredibly important to listen to what they have to say and continue to expand through these different social media channels. Consumers are also a great way to promote a brand and influence purchases–if customers love your products, they will boast about it to friends and family, “…49% of consumers seek guidance from social media influencers before making a buying decision.” (Clootrack)

MarketingLand outlines a few other reasons why social media listening is so important:

1. Reputation Management: “This is one of the most common reasons companies use social listening. Businesses monitor mentions of their brand and products to track brand health and react to changes in volume of mentions and sentiment early to prevent reputation crises.”
2. Competitor Analysis :What are your competitors doing differently? What are they doing that’s the same?

3. Product Feedback: What are people saying about a new product or service you released?

4. Customer Service: Answer questions and engage with your audience, comment and share!

5. Lead generation: Did someone post about how crowded and dirty LA Fitness is? Another gym could jump in with pictures of their pristine facility and win a new customer over (personal experience with this).

6. PR: Where is your brand being mentioned in press releases and articles?

7. Influencer Marketing: If Barack Obama posted that Coke is better than Pepsi, I’d willingly give up my Pepsi(maybe).

8. Research: What are people saying about literally anything, online

Case In Point

I visit the gym fairly regularly, but my routine was getting boring and I hit a plateau with my weight loss, so I began searching different types of workouts and different machines to use as well as different diets, I did this on various social media platforms as well as good ol’ google. I began seeing more ads on Facebook for healthy recipes and home gyms including ads for ellipticals and other high-end cardio machines. I then took an interest in rowing machines and began researching the topic including how to formulate my own workout, what the cost would be to purchase a rower for my home and what the benefits are of rowing. One day as I was scrolling through Facebook an ad popped up for RowHouse–a studio built entirely for rowing!

I’ve currently rowed 30,284M aiming for my 50K and down 5lbs in less than a month.

Social listening was definitely happening–whether it was because I was browsing for workouts on Pinterest, asking for recipes on Facebook and scrolling through Instagram to learn new techniques at the gym—it all came together and presented me with an ad for a service that fit right into my life and what I was looking for. Ads for meal services did come up as well, but I wasn’t too interested at those and they magically stopped bombarding my social media platforms with ads.

Needless to say, I’m very happy to have been introduced to RowHouse—but also slightly terrified at how I was being tracked. The point here is that because of social listening and strategy, a business earned a new customer—imagine if other businesses followed the same strategies and earned more new customers as well!

 

 

Sources

 

5 Ways for Leveraging Social Media to Drive Results for Your Business – GRIN – Influencer Marketing Software. (2019, August 23). Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://grin.co/blog/5-ways-for-leveraging-social-media-to-drive-results-for-your-business/

Amaresan, S. (2018, August). What Is Social Listening & Why Is It Important? Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://blog.hubspot.com/service/social-listening

Comcowich, W. (2020, September 11). 12 Ways Social Media Listening Can Benefit Your Business. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://glean.info/10-ways-social-media-listening-can-benefit-your-business/

Davis, J. (n.d.). Social Media Gives Consumers and Brands a Direct Connection. Retrieved 2020, from https://ducttapemarketing.com/empowerment-social-media/#:~:text=Through%20social%20media%20outlets%2C%20consumers,and%20opinions%20can%20be%20voiced.

Day, S. (2019, September 19). Social listening: What it is, why it matters, and how to do it. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://marketingland.com/social-listening-267175

How does social media influence consumer behavior? (n.d.). Retrieved 2020, from https://clootrack.com/knowledge_base/how-does-social-media-influence-consumer-behavior/

Meyer, E. F. (n.d.). How To Leverage Social Media To Build Brand Loyalty. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.prismglobalmarketing.com/blog/how-to-leverage-social-media-to-build-brand-loyalty

Sprout Social. (2020, June 10). Social Media Listening: What You Need to Know to Get Started. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://sproutsocial.com/social-listening/

 

Embracing Social Media

It’s very repetitive to say, “mobile and digital is the way of the future” and everyone who didn’t believe this is slowly getting on board, especially with COVID-19 and the many business changes it has forced. But what I’ve been encountering throughout my career is the separation of mobile/social platforms from what we do every day. In 2019, 40% of the world’s population were active on social media platforms. This is roughly 3 billion people (Jenkins 2019). Social Media Examiner’s Lisa Jenkins further adds, “Marketing via these networks is naturally critical for any organization selling products or services, either locally, regionally, nationally, or across the globe.”

So then I have to wonder—why does my company continue to departmentalize our marketing efforts so much and implement strict no social media/cell phone use policy for its associates? Afterall, it is the on-site teams that are interacting with prospects, residents, vendors and guests on a daily basis. They are on the ‘frontlines’ of the business and know more about the community in which they work in (and sometimes, reside in) including happenings from the neighborhood and the city.

Marketing is an essential part of our success, especially in a property management company competing in the very aggressive central Florida market. And while my company has its own marketing department, on-site teams who actually lease and engage with residents and prospects are left out of the marketing efforts. How can the company expect to reach the public without being on-site and involved in the actual events of the residential communities, surrounding neighborhoods and the city itself?

My hope is by understanding more about social media platforms and the mobile world that I can bridge that gap between our corporate offices and our on-site teams which would in return help us engage more effectively with future prospects and residents. The way associates are trained also needs to be changed, including the policies presented to us. Currently, we are told that our IT department is monitoring our internet and computer usages and that we are expected to disengage from our mobile phones during the workday. Associates are also not part of social media or marketing efforts—it is mostly the corporate office that handles the social media accounts with the assistance of one representative from the on-site office. But even then, the marketing department dictates what to post, when to post it and sometimes, the methods in which content can be posted.

The Plan

My hope after this semester and with the completion of my degree, is that I would be able to influence some minor changes in the way we market and have our associates be actively engaged in these efforts. Some changes should include:

1. All on-site associates should have access to social media accounts
2. On-site team should put together a calendar of what to post based on events surrounding the neighborhood and city and take turns posting/commenting and sharing. This will also allow associates to be creative and create/share content.
3. There should be a clear and accessible social media use policy put forth by the company (Todd Kunsmen, everyonesocial.com)
   1. Policy should be easily accessible by all
   2. Policy should be simple, direct and to the point
   3. Policy should provide guideline on what can be posted and what should not

4. Corporate marketing team should hold a discussion with on-site teams to discuss level of engagement that is encouraged and answer questions.

These changes would allow on-site teams to be comfortable with what they can post and what they should not post. It will familiarize them with goals of the marketing department and teach them how they can help reach this goal. It will also emphasize the importance of social media engagement and how that can help the overall success of the company. If employees have a clear guideline on what they can post, they are more likely to engage without a fear of any repercussions.

Kunsman shared some additional statistics showing the importance of having an active social platform for any brand:

• More than 56% of online adults use more than one social media platform
• 75% of male internet users are on Facebook as well as 83% of female internet users
• LinkedIn boasts more than 500 million user profiles.
• Almost 80% of time spent on social media platforms happens on mobile.

Everyone is always on the go, everyone wants information at their fingertips, and they want the information now. It’s not enough to have a great website anymore—consumers are looking at a brands social media engagement including things like what they support and what their beliefs are. But when the social media aspect of a brand is lacking, consumers will most likely shop elsewhere. Consumers want consistent, relevant and informative content and that content needs to be mobile accessible. It is very deconstructive for my company to play down the importance of mobile and implement backwards rules for mobile use.

Employees should be advocates for their companies through social media—if consumers see that the employee loves their workplace, their company and their teammates they’re more likely to trust that brand and want to be a part of it. Prospects and residents also want to know that their on-site team is present and engaged—after all, it is the on-site team that handles their rental payments, their service requests and are responsible for having events to engage the community. The on-site teams should communicate authority, the Marketing Insider Group (2018) also noted that employees build awareness, show authenticity, provide support, encourage engagement and help grow the business.  Once that genuine connection is made with consumers, they will become advocates for the brand themselves and begin advertising within their circle of family and friends. Our consumers are one of our greatest assets and we should be maximizing our engagement with them to further our brand, popularity and loyalty.

Popular Brands on Social Media

Consider some of the most popular brands on social media. Nike is one such brand and the post below is from their Instagram account. Not only did they use their famous catch phrase “Just Do It” perfectly, but they also showed support for the USA women’s soccer team. The post below has over 500 thousand likes and over 3 thousand comments from people from all over the world—in what other platform can so many people come together and engage with one brand? Social media makes the brand accessible; it humanizes it and brings people together to discuss, support and even question. It gives brands the opportunities to showcase their products and make connections with their consumers.

Starbucks is another really popular brand on social media who used their popularity to further boast the ever so popular Pumpkin Spice Latte in the post below:

This post is also from Instagram and earned over 129K likes and has over one thousand comments. Starbucks has 18.2 million followers on Instagram. Again, I ask—in what other way could this ever be possible without social media?!

 

Conclusion

It’s time to talk a more serious stance with social media platforms and be more mobile and accessible to the public. Connections, engagement and accessibility are incredibly important to brand loyalty and with my company acquiring even more rental communities across the world (and some in the U.K.) I believe it’s time to position our brand as a top leader in the rental industry. By making a few minor changes in our marketing efforts and leveraging all that mobile social media has to offer through our on-site teams, we can get there.

 

Sources

Guest Author (2018, August 9). Why Social Media Is Important for Business Marketing. Retrieved August 22, 2020, from https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/why-social-media-is-important-for-business-marketing/

Jenkins, L. (2018, May 7). The Guide to Social Media Marketing For Businesses. Retrieved from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/the-guide-to-social-media-marketing-for-businesses/ Revised May 1, 2019

Kruse, K. (2018, March 15). 7 Smart Steps to Engage Employees in Social Media. Retrieved August 22, 2020, from https://www.krusecontrolinc.com/smart-steps-to-engage-employees-in-social-media/

Kunsman, T. (2019, December 18). 6 Ways to Get All Employees Active in Social Media Marketing. Retrieved August 22, 2020, from https://everyonesocial.com/blog/employees-social-media-marketing/

Newberry, C. (2018, May 2). 23 Benefits of Social Media for Business. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-for-business/

Winterer, S. (n.d.). The Importance Of Social Media In Business: What You Need To Know. Retrieved from https://www.digitallogic.co/blog/the-importance-of-social-media-in-business/

The 9 Best Brands on Social Media. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://eclincher.com/the-9-best-brands-on-social-media/

 

 

Good usability is key, but it’s time to design for trust. At the end of the day, consumer trust in a brand is what keeps them coming back. Consider Amazon’s loyal consumers—not only has Amazon managed to build trust with their customers in the United States—they continue to grow and adapt to consumer needs. They keep their products at a great rate, offer fast delivery and their return process is effortless. Should you need to contact their customer service for any reason, you’re met with knowledgeable reps who will solve your issues right away. Amazon has grown so much that for many people, it’s a one stop shop—and that happens to be the case for me. I trust Amazon to keep me informed of my deliveries, any delays and refund statuses. I’ve hardly ever had to contact their customer service department but when I have, a resolution is reached within minutes. I can’t say the same for other ecommerce websites, so I always turn to Amazon—as do millions of other Americans.

 

It’s easy to create a website that’s user friendly—it’s time to focus on creating websites that provide users with more engaging, compelling and effective content. Human Factors created an entire design toolkit specifically targeted to aid designers with these three factors.  The diagram below illustrates some of the core factors in this process.

 

Part of building trust is also keeping consumers informed about data—what is being collected, why it’s being collected and how it’s used. Consumers are becoming less trusting of companies and are reluctant to share minor data like their e-mails or even phone numbers. Privacy and data collection have been in the news over and over again with no resolution—it’s time to change that.

 

Consumers are looking to brands to do more and be better. It’s not enough to just provide a product, consumers want the brands they support to have a social impact—with so many incredibly necessary movements arising, brands are expected to take a stand or lose their customers, brands are expected to be consistent, open and as transparent as possible. A website that just has products or services for sale isn’t enough and the way the website is designed also plays a huge factor with the consumer. Consumers want to be able to see all the website has to offer including any subtexts or hidden privacy notices, clearly.  With the importance of data and data collection rising, companies will want a competitive advantage by collecting the most data. In order to do so, they need to win their customers over through transparency and trust.

 

 

 

Sources:

Enginess. (2020, January 13). How Web Design Affects Customer Trust. Retrieved from https://www.enginess.io/insights/How-Web-Design-Affects-Customer-Trust

Gubaidulin, I. (2016, November 7). Designing for Persuasion, Emotion and Trust. Retrieved 2020, from https://uxdesign.cc/designing-for-persuasion-emotion-and-trust-cdac44c61d53

Morey, T., Forbath, T., & Schoop, A. (2015, May). Customer Data: Designing for Transparency and Trust. Retrieved 2020, from https://hbr.org/2015/05/customer-data-designing-for-transparency-and-trust

 

Businesses were aware of the much needed shift into the digital world, but it was anticipated to happen gradually over the years. With COVID-19, going digital has become mandatory for businesses that want to survive.

Marketing Dive’s Tatiana Walk-Morris wrote an interesting article with regards to this topic and interviewed a few technology leaders, including Ryan Webber from SOTI. Morris states, “The silver lining of this pandemic, if one could be found, is that retailers are now going to adopt mobile technology at a faster pace than before, which will enable them to accommodate changing consumer behaviors and expectations, Webber said. It’s critical for retailers to invest in e-commerce and mobile technologies now, because consumers’ in-store and online shopping habits will change, he said.”

Many businesses already had the digital infrastructure in place to take on additional mobile and online traffic, but other businesses do not. The healthcare system has had to adopt video appointments in order to to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to be able to provide their patients with the treatments they need. Any non-essential surgeries have also been put on hold for the same reason.

Other businesses have been resistant to going digital- prior to COVID-19 and with the new way of things today, they’re forced to go digital or risk having to shut down their businesses all together. Millenials and Gen Z want to be able to access everything on the go and from their mobile devices–if businesses want to reach this large market, they have to adapt to consumer needs. Digital was always the way to the future, but COVID has certainly brought that future closer to reality.

This change doesn’t necessarily replace all foot traffic, but it could definitely lead to more business exposure as well as introduce new consumers to businesses they otherwise may have never found. Depending on digital also means taking the proper security measures and investing in a strong online infrastructure that can handle and keep up with sales demands while implementing CRM and other consumer/sales trends. This could potentially drive more business to cyber security firms, digital marketing specialists, CRM specialists and system etc.

This could be seen as the silver lining but, there will still be some stores that won’t survive the digital trend- and unfortunately, their failures won’t just be due to COVID.

Source
Walk-Morris, T. (2020, April 29). How the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing brands to connect digitally. Retrieved from https://www.marketingdive.com/news/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-is-pushing-brands-to-connect-digitally/576930/