Social Media

As the Groundswell Chapters state, “Social networking sites and virtual worlds are by definition about the facilitation of relationships with technologies.” Which is exactly how companies can use Facebook to build a greater consumer experience. However, not all companies should be on Facebook. Many times companies will jump on the bandwagon to try to enter every space their consumers are located, but this can lead to many problems. For example, start-ups generally do not have enough brand awareness to begin weaving a community with such a small consumer base. Another misconception about social media that adds onto the list of failed attempts is the fact that many people assume social media is free. This is not true. When a company has the equity to invest in entering into social media with the proper personnel constantly updating the content, then perhaps the company should proceed in investing in the medium.

As can be seen on Burger King’s Facebook page, it is a great example of how to use social media to really engage with consumers. In terms of campaign support, the Burger King Sacrifice was a hit, where users had to de-friend ten friends to get a free whopper. Not only does Burger King know how to integrate their online content with their campaigns, they have setup their Facebook page very well. When I see their wall, it looks like it was designed to restrict users from freely posting on their wall like they can on their friends. This may seem a bit restrictive, but it will help Burger King control any negative comments by “hiding” them. What I mean by hiding is that users have to click the tab to view comments in order to see what users and writing about Burger King. Another thing that Burger King does well is updating the content frequently. Restricting the wall almost forces BK to update their content constantly otherwise their wall would be empty. Also if you look at the tabs at the top of the page, the content was separated well. Companies should use those tabs to organize their content and engage consumers. If you look at BK’s they have videos for entertainment and polls to really allow the users to interact with one another. Another interesting aspect with Facebook is the ability to aggregate consumer insights by collecting data from users’ profiles. Facebook analytics allows marketers to better target their ads. By tracking what advertisements users “like,” marketers can send more relevant ads to that user. For example say I like an ad for AMC Theaters, the next time I login there maybe ads for upcoming movies or other theaters. Also when a user likes something, it appears on their feed so that all their friends will be exposed to the advertisement.

Overall, to evaluate the benefits of social media, one should consider the questions posed in the Groundswell chapters.

Does it enable people to connect with each other in new ways? When looking at a company’s page, they should ideally add content to engage users into a “community” to discuss the content. Is it effortless to sign up for? Facebook is very simple to use and should not pose any problems for users.
Does it shift power from institutions to people? In general Facebook does give power to the users to connect and form their own community of friends without getting in the way of their progress. In terms of a company’s page, if it is poorly monitored then consumers can overpower the company like mentioned in class with Cooks Source. Some pages are heavily monitored to protect the company, but it should never be to the point where they take the freedom of speech away from users.
Does the community generate enough content to sustain itself? Yes, because it is fairly easy for users to upload pictures onto a company’s page (they usually do not restrict photo uploads) and it is easy to comment on walls. The features of Facebook were meant to be self-explanatory and simple, like the thumbs up feature means you like something. This ease allows users to create their own content.
Is it an open platform that invites partnerships? According to the article, “Open platforms like Facebook, which opened up its interfaces to application developers in 2007, get continual new functionality without so much work on the part of the founders.”