For so many, the day often begins with social media, from checking Instagram in the morning to watching TikTok during lunch, then winding down the day with YouTube. 72% of people use some form of social media today! It had become completely integrated into our everyday routines, and many understand its addictive nature, but who could resist the endless entertainment?
Not only does social media provide copious amounts of funny content, but it’s also a platform for people to speak their minds and share ideas. As a result, it gives small businesses a chance to thrive and big companies the opportunity to gain valuable feedback from their customers. Here’s how these two-way communication platforms have benefited consumers and businesses over the past 15+ years.
The Business Perspective
“50% of my advertising works. I just don’t know which half.”
John Wanamaker, Department Store Owner
Before social media, the most common forms of advertising consisted of TV commercials, print advertising (newspapers, magazines, etc.), and radio. These mediums blasted brand messaging to millions of people in a broad target audience. With the advent of social media, brands can target their audience on a far more granular level. For example, instead of messaging simply to women ages 20 – 40 in Florida, social media can hypertarget the same message to a more narrow audience that is more likely to respond. So, for example, a brand like Huggies diapers can advertise their Mickey Mouse diapers to new moms who live in Orlando and like Disney.
With the real-time data, social media platforms collect from ads, such as cost per click, conversions, and audience engagements, a business can quickly and easily gauge its ROI. Additionally, most social media platforms allow businesses to make minor adjustments throughout their campaigns if they find a particular audience segment responds better than another. These shifts also improve ROI and reduce unnecessary advertising dollar loss.
The Two-Way Street
“Social media bridges that gap and brings the consumer and merchant back to the table in a personal conversation.” Businesses have the opportunity to hear what people are saying about them, and people finally have a way to voice their opinion. According to the book Social Media Strategy, when brands listen to their audience, they can hear complaints, gain valuable insights, and manage their reputations. With the insights gathered from customers’ comments, a brand can build a more “customer-centric” marketing strategy that focuses less on the business but more on its users.
A great example of taking the customers’ lead is Sony Europe, which turned to their super-fans to write blog posts, provide feedback and help support other customers. These super-fans were exactly what Sony needed, and in return, the super-fans were rewarded with free products, all-expense-paid trips, and invitations to industry-specific conferences. Sony wins because they directly connect with their customers across their many product offerings, one being the Sony PlayStation. Sony now has a dedicated forum for their gamers to interact with each other and the brand. They also have dedicated spaces for their cameras, computers, mobile phones, etc.
The Consumer Perspective
At the elementary level, social media was created to connect people. From its infancy, the main idea behind Facebook was to connect college students on the campus of Harvard. Once the platform opened up to all people, the idea took off. Today, Facebook has matured from young college kids to people of all ages, including many over 65. It’s this older generation that makes connecting with people to heart. According to Wired magazine, the boomer generation is less interested in posting about themselves but more interested in staying in touch with family- especially seeing photos of their grandchildren and reconnecting with friends from the past. When life separates people across the country, social media brings them back together.
David Has A Voice
For so long big business and government fed consumers their sales pitches in the form of TV, radio, and print advertising. Communication was always a one-way street. Social media has given people a voice; the small Davids of the world can stand up to the Goliaths. Consumers can write about their positive and negative reviews, business experiences and encourage their friends to sign petitions. When businesses receive backlash from hundreds of people, they have to respond, just like Bank of America did when Molly Katchpole complained about a new $5 monthly debit card fee. With change.org, she spread her story and got 10,000 people to sign a petition. This plus the attention of ABC news, caused Bank of America to change its policy.
Social Media Helping Kids
The pandemic hit everyone hard, but it was especially challenging for kids who did not understand why they couldn’t go to school anymore and weren’t allowed to play with their friends. My own two daughters were very confused and missed their friends terribly, but one thing they looked forward to was Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems, their favorite author. This YouTube campaign sponsored by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, was the most meaningful and notable social media campaign to me. Every week, Willems hosted a show explaining his creative process then how to draw one of his characters. The campaign generated millions of views and a lot of happy “Master Mo Doddlers,” including my two girls.
The Future of Social Media
The positivity of Mo Willems Lunch Doodles and the activism of people, along with business listening to people, is where I hope social media will evolve. Generation Z is the first generation born into a world with smartphones and social media surrounded by them. In five to ten years, I see social media becoming more ingrained in people’s lives, with more new platforms. As millennials mature more, I hope there will be more regulations when misinformation is spread, including deep fakes and conspiracy theories. Perhaps schools will provide specific curricula to teach the importance of the dangers of social media and how to recognize misinformation. By removing the negative content, I hope it keeps the path clear for engaging content, informative articles, and positive activism.
References
Kerpen, Dave; Greenbaum, Michelle; Berk, Rob. (2019) Likeable Social Media, Third Edition: How To Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, & Be Generally Amazing On All Social Networks That Matter. McGraw Hill LLC. Kindle Edition.
Quesenberry, Keith A. (2021) Social Media Strategy. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Social Media Fact Sheet. (2021) Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
Yassky, Brahna. (2021). How Social Media Can Give the Silent Generation a Voice. Wired. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/social-media-silent-generation/
