Social media for business use
One of the major steps we saw in terms of e-commerce and online business during the last year was the advent of social media, or the whole new plateaus that it reached.
Social media networks have seen a steady rise for a number of years now, and though some of the larger sites have seen their member bases dwindle in the recent past, it is mostly because of their largest competitors attracting people over to what turned out to be the next big thing. In fact, the two largest social networks in the world collectively have over 1.3 billion members (though of course a number of these are duplicates between the websites), and over a third of these signed up in 2011. Along with the other alternative social networks available, including up and comers established in 2012, it means that there is potential for a great deal of business waiting to be done with people who are registered.
With predicted trends like m-commerce still on the horizon, at the moment businesses are settling for building their presence and reputation online using the sites. There are regular horror stories reported in the press (particularly online of course) about companies whose social media campaigns have gone awry, though the point is that they are trying to build their reputations with users, and that there is obvious enough buzz around them for people to notice what they are doing wrong.
The question for now is what exactly the benefit of a good social media campaign is, and what kind of returns a company who initiates one can receive. The most obvious response is that it allows businesses to share their news outside of the comparatively small group of people who check their website or read their newsletter on a regular basis. People who sign up to networking websites are obviously looking for people to follow, and brands they might like are high on the list. People want to get offers and updates from places they visit on a regular basis; restaurants and shops for example; in a format that takes less time to digest than an extended stay on the company website, or an extensive html email which looks like spam to someone who might only have a passing interest. Microblogging websites, and sites that allow companies to post status updates like regular members, like the two largest networks, provide just enough information for businesses to get their points across to people who might spend money with them.
Companies with social media marketing are seeing benefits over their rivals going without. If you are based in the capital, talk to your marketing agency London-based about how to begin a social media campaign.
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