• Home
• About

Five Social Media Principles Companies Can Pursue

The utilization of powerful social technologies like blogs, forums, social networks and videos has changed the way the companies and businesses attract and connect with consumers. The way they do business is now affected by the growing Social Media trend. This new trend includes blogs and member-driven sites, user-generated sites and online tools that allow people to share Internet bookmarks and build web content resources together. Tools like Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia are part of this phenomenon.

Since 2000, the number of people connecting and depending on each other online has increased dramatically. Social Media has developed into a social trend wherein people utilize these technologies to get what they need. Rather than relying on traditional institutions like corporations, consumers now depend on each other for information. Nowadays, more and more businesses are using these Social Media tools to engage consumers.

Working with Social Media Objectives

But before your company decides to dive in Social Media, you need to first know and clearly define your company’s goals and objectives. Knowing and clearly defining the objectives and goals of your company is as important as harnessing these social media marketing tools. Clear and good objectives are essential and indispensable, and these can fuel your company to adopt effective social media strategies. In this way, you can be able to navigate your business to success.

Many companies working with Social Media showed that there are five main objectives that these companies practice which obviously made an impact with the way they deal with consumers. Company owners can match the type of business function they have with these objectives to see what works with their company goals. One example of a company that successfully utilized these objectives is 37 Signals. Based on Li and Bernoff’s observation, the following is a list of the five objectives, how this company adopted these principles in their organization, and how you, too, can pursue these objectives in your company:

1. Listening. This is effective if your company focuses on research marketing and development. As you look into your consumer targets’ insights and opinions, you can better understand what your consumers want. Instead of relying on occasional surveys and focus groups, your company can get more benefits by frequently monitoring customers’ dialogues.

37 Signals was not built solely on the idea of using rapid development process to produce Web-based programs. The company also utilized this objective and was able to connect effectively with its users. At the core of their success is their blog, which became a means for the company to listen and focus on the customers’ needs and concerns about rapid development software and design.

2. Talking. You can use this Social Media tool to promote and market your company. This goal is also ideal if you’re gearing up to expand from your present marketing programs to a more interactive medium. In this case, you will be able to participate in more effective two-way conversations between your customers and not be limited to outbound communication for feedbacks.

When they were expanded and launched their latest product, Highrise, 37 Signals posted several times about the software, gave screenshots and trade-off descriptions they were grappling with and also gave blog readers a free preview of the software. In that way, Social Media did the talking for their company. This step served 37 Signals well, as more than eight thousand accounts were set-up in just a single day. The accounts included not only those who signed up for the free, limited edition software but a significant number of paying customers as well.

3. Energizing. You can use the excitement of your consumers to your advantage as they promote your brands through word of mouth. Energizing keen consumers can help you especially if your business is centered on sales. Your consumers can basically help sell your brands to each other.

When 37 Signals’ very satisfied first-product customers started to recommend the product brand people they know, spreading the word became uncomplicated for the company.

4. Supporting. You can make use of your Social Media tools to enable your customers to support each other, especially when they have shared aims. This objective is valuable for companies with established or strong support costs.

This objective was also utilized by 37 Signals when they created their software brand. Because they developed a system that works better when used on a massive scale and also runs online, the company was able to provide prompt and reliable support to its customers on a wider scale.

5. Embracing. You can embrace your consumer ideas and let them see how your business works or use their suggestions to help plan, develop or design your product or improve your services. This goal is apt for companies that have already been successful in using the first four objectives and are focused on product development and modifications.

Part of the 37 Signals’ success was due to its consideration to customer feedbacks. When the pricing issues about the product emerged, the company responded efficiently to its consumers by making immediate changes and delivering it on the blog. The response that 37 Signals made to its customers’ suggestions gave way for newly upgraded paid accounts.

Knowing your company’s goals can well direct your company’s success. Identifying these goals can help you decide if your company is ready to enter Social Media. It can also help you know what Social Media tools your company can use to achieve success.

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.