In today's world, the message is no longer the most important part of marketing. In traditional marketing, marketers could sell a bad product as long as they delivered a great message to the consumer. In contrast, consumers today see right through the message to the quality of the product. This is due to the fact that consumers have instant access to product reviews and the opinions of their peers. Social media has changed the way marketers communicate with today's buyers. No longer is it possible to sell a bad product. Once a faulty product is on the market, everyone with internet access will know about it. In today's shopping world, it is safe to say that the majority of individuals research a product before purchasing. Either they look at product review websites or talk to their friends and family via Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes, only a few bad reviews will be a show-stopper. Personally, I never consider a product that has anything under a 4-star rating. The most important important factor to remember for any business today is this: quality is key.
Transparency, Transparency, Transparency
It has never been more crucial for companies to be transparent than it is today. Nothing is safe from becoming public knowledge. As Erik Qualman states, it does not do a company any good to donate millions to a pro-environment cause while at the same time they are dumping thousands of gallons of pollution into the ocean. All it takes is for one dirty story to leak out and you can kiss many of your customers goodbye. On the other hand, if you own up to mistakes you could save yourself embarrassment and keep your reputation intact. This is one reason why engaging in social media is so important. It is the fastest and cheapest way to communicate with your fans. Discussing an issue on a blog or Facebook is the quickest way to reach the greatest number of people. This is true whether you are letting buyers know about a new product or addressing a problem. Arranging a news conference will cost precious time and money. Posting on Facebook or Twitter is relatively free and instantaneous. Use these tools appropriately and you will reap the benefits.
Facebook vs. World of Warcraft
We are living in a time where it is an option to either live in actual reality or virtual reality. This means either living in the world of Facebook or Second Life. You never log into your Facebook account and see updates like "Playing world of warcraft" or "Hanging out on second life" in your news feed. I believe that is is because people either do one or the other. According to Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft's developer, the acclaimed online game had more than 12 million users as of October, 2010. Compare this to 20 million users on Second Life. Facebook, on the other hand, has somewhere around 600 million users (50 times that of World of Warcraft and 30 times that of Second Life). It is safe to say that social media attracts more people than virtual reality, but that does not mean virtual reality is going away any time soon. So what does this mean for marketers? Should World of Warcraft and Second Life be used in marketing, or are these a waste of time? With all the talk that goes on about social media and its uses in marketing, I think this is an interesting topic to discuss.
No comments:
Post a Comment