Dannie Ghazal

Your phone is your gateway to the world

                                                                                                   -Gregory Ebbecke, 10.28.2020

 

Every month without fail, I log into the Acura financial website to make a payment on my car. And every single month I got frustrated that the website is not adaptive at all. I have to zoom in, reposition the entire screen, triple tap a button just to be able to log in to my account or call to make a payment. Acura made the mobile version responsive which severely lacks in great user experience, Daniel Rowles affirms:

 

Let’s make something clear from the outset; you need a mobile-optimized site. That doesn’t mean your site happens to work on mobile devices. It means the user journey via mobile has been carefully considered and you offer the optimal experience via mobile devices.

(Rowels, 57)

 

I know I could save myself this insanity by logging in through my desktop—but as life will have it, every time the reminder comes up on my phone to make that payment, I’m not at my desktop. Autopay is also an option but just not something I trust enough to set up.

 

Acura spent the last two years completely re-inventing their cars and customer service in an effort to reposition their brand to appeal to younger buyers—yet they couldn’t somehow manage to make their website adaptive to all devices.  Had Acura done their research, they would’ve found that over 50% of global population is mobile . Mobile traffic has also increased by 222% from 2013 to 2019. Having an adaptive website is imperative if you want to attract new customers, keep current ones and stay up to date with modern technology.

You can see the differences between the website version and the mobile version of the Acura Financial Services website:

 

People are busy and constantly on the move! Acura can’t assume that its consumers always have access to their computers to be able to make payments or access the website for other needs. Interestingly enough, the Acura website is fully adaptive. So, I could and will argue that Acura captures their audience with an amazing desktop and mobile website which can lead to a sale. But once that sale is made, consumers are left to use an archaic, slow, non-adaptive mobile website to make payments on their shiny new vehicle, contact their local dealership, schedule services, update their personal information, view statements and other important matters.  I’m fairly certain that’s not the message that Acura wants to send out.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my shiny new car with all its bells and whistles, but I’m disappointed with the website and all the frustration that comes with doing something as simple as making a payment.

SeoHermit offers additional reasons as to why websites should be mobile friendly:

• Streamlined experience across devices
• Positive ranking signal
• Improve mobile conversion rate
• Improved user experience
• Faster download speed
• More flexible and cost-effective than app development

Acura needs to think about the customer journey while visiting their website on mobile devices. A website that is not mobile-optimized does not offer a seamless user journey. Most of the time is spent zooming in and moving the screen around in order to get to the task. Users need to be able to access the content as easily as they would if they were sitting at a computer.

Rowles sums up this issue well when he states:

 

Poor use of technology can ruin an otherwise well-thought-out mobile site, but a site without a user-centered design approach is unlikely to stand a chance in the first place.

(Rowels, 81)

 

 

Sources

 

55+ Mobile Vs Desktop Usage Stats You Should Know in 2020. (2020, August 11). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://techjury.net/blog/mobile-vs-desktop-usage/

7 Compelling Reasons Why You Need a Mobile Friendly Website in 2019. (2019, June 07). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.studio98.com/7-compelling-reasons-why-you-need-a-mobile-friendly-website-in-2019/

Anderson, K. (2020, October 01). Importance of Having a Mobile-Friendly Website. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.seohermit.com/articles/importance-of-having-a-mobile-friendly-website/

Clement, J. (2020, July 21). Mobile percentage of website traffic 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/.

Mobile Vs. Desktop Internet Usage (Latest 2020 Data). (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics

Rowles, Daniel. Mobile Marketing (p. 75, 81). Kogan Page. Kindle Edition.

The social media obsession has turned dark very quickly. Consumers are mindlessly consuming content for hours a day and totally disengaging from the world around them. They’re creating their own reality in the virtual world. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called the social dilemma which revealed many things that I believe we all know but selectively ignore.

 

This documentary from Jeff Orlowski explores how addiction and privacy breaches are features, not bugs, of social media platforms.

(Girish, 2020)

 

Many former high-level associates from Google, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram are interviewed in this documentary. The general consensus was that all these social media platforms were first created for good but as corporate greed and data collection became a frenzy, these platforms became manipulative, destructive and misused. Data collection became extremely competitive and big tech companies saved as much information they could get form their users. This information was then used to specifically target each user and provide them with content to influence, push a purchase or manipulate another behavior.

 

 The Rise of Fake News

 As more and more users began using social media and circulating ideologies, articles and beliefs, fake news became a huge issue in cyber space. I’m by no means saying that social media gave birth to fake news—it’s been around for centuries in the form of propaganda. But social media provides an easy, quick platform to spread news (and anything else) like wildfires. Much of this content is user created and may not be factual at all—but The Social Dilemma suggests that social media by way of data collection, algorithms and the like will make sure that particular content is shown to a specific user or users who have exhibited online behavior indicating they may believe in false news. Social platforms will even attempt to connect these users to one another and help form a group of people with similar ideologies and beliefs. In some instances, this can be harmless, but in many others, this can be extremely harmful—we see a rise in white supremacists on social media and they form their groups using social platforms and connecting with others who have the same beliefs.

 

The Ethical Dilemma

 The Social Dilemma speaks to many issues with social media that are not new to our society and the participants being interviewed noted that many of them left due to ethical issues they recognized either with their own companies or with the industry as a whole. They felt an ethical need to step away from the ‘monster’ they helped create and try to change the trajectory of social media.

 

 “…the manipulation of human behavior for profit is coded into these companies with Machiavellian precision: Infinite scrolling and push notifications keep users constantly engaged; personalized recommendations use data not just to predict but also to influence our actions, turning users into easy prey for advertisers and propagandists.”

(Grish, 2020)

 Big Tech is very aware that their algorithms and codes are manipulating users but there has not been a concrete plan put in place to try and control or repair this issue. Instead, Big Tech companies are benefiting from this—by gathering as much data on consumers as possible, they can sell ad space, track you, show you advertisements you’d be interested in, influence you to purchase, sell, join a group etc. It’s become a competition of which company can collect the most data while disregarding the negative effects consumers are being exposed to. Three has to be a moral and ethical stance when it comes to these issues.

Studies have shown that social media can have negative effects on the youth.

 

Young people spend a lot of time on social media. They’re also more susceptible to peer pressure, low self-esteem and mental ill-health. A number of studies have found associations between increased social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating concerns, and suicide risk.

(Robinson, Bailey & Byrne , 2020)

 

The authors of the article “Social media can be bad for youth mental health, but there are ways it can help” also noted that there is certain content with regards to cyberbullying, comparison to unrealistic portrayals and suicide and self-harm circulating social media that can make matters work.

 

And they are just a few of the many things that affects the youth on the internet. This content is easily shared and circulated which adversely has a negative effect on mental health.  Some social media platforms have attempted to address these issues, particularly, cyberbullying, but “71% of youth don’t think social media platforms do enough to prevent cyberbullying” (Robinson et al. 2020). Cyberbullying is a monster of its own and directly “linked to depression, anxiety, social isolation and suicide.”

(Robinson et al. 2020)

 

At what point should Big Tech take a step back and realize the damage their platforms have done? How many more young adult suicides will it take for these giants to consider their moral, ethical duty and responsibility to the public? These issues are not new, they’ve been around for years and with more and more young adults actively engaged in the online world, the more this content will be accessible. This problem will not go away until it is addressed, and a plan is put in place to eliminate it.

 

 

Sources

 

Girish, D. (2020, September 09). ‘The Social Dilemma’ Review: Unplug and Run. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html

Concerns Regarding Social Media and Health Issues in Adolescents and Young Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2016/02/concerns-regarding-social-media-and-health-issues-in-adolescents-and-young-adults

Jones, M. (2020, August 03). The Complete History of Social Media: A Timeline of the Invention of Online Networking. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-social-media/

Ahmad, I. (2018, April 27). The History of Social Media [Infographic]. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-history-of-social-media-infographic-1/522285/

Jul 26, 2. (n.d.). The Impact of Social Media: Is it Irreplaceable? Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/impact-of-social-media/

Shah, S. (2018, June 20). The History of Social Media. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/

Fake News and Cyber Propaganda: The Use and Abuse of Social Media. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2020, from https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/pl/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/fake-news-cyber-propaganda-the-abuse-of-social-media

Orlowski, J. (Director). (2020, September). The Social Dilemma [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464826/

Robinson, J., Bailey, E., & Byrne, S. (2020, May 12). Social media can be bad for youth mental health, but there are ways it can help. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/social-media-can-be-bad-for-youth-mental-health-but-there-are-ways-it-can-help-87613

 

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