For better or worse, social media and business marketing have become connected to each other. Research reveals that 93 per cent of businesses market themselves through social media and those who don’t use it are taking a large gamble.
Sometimes this gamble pays off. Apple are famous for not using social media, but Apple became one of the world’s biggest brands before the rise of social media, and their unique marketing strategy relies on customers who are loyal to them alone. Other companies cannot be as daring; the notoriety of Apple’s exception to the rule only serves to prove how powerful the relationship is.
Still, why do Apple shy away from social media? If used well, social media can turn a small business into a brand very quickly. Social media gives businesses, small and large, the opportunity to market on both the personal and public level at the same time. A multinational company can respond to a comment left on their account by one person, and millions of potential customers can see this. As well as connecting with people, social media also gives businesses the opportunity to connect with other businesses; this can help them to keep close track of their competition.
The reason for Apple’s avoidance of social media could be down to the failure of Ping, their own social media network. However, it could be that they are worried about what happens when social media turns against a business. Advertisement on television is a monologue delivered by a business to the consumer; social media is a dialogue between a business and the whole world. As a result, sometimes the business loses control over its own representation. A social media meme can become public property and, if powerful enough, it begins to define the brand against how the brand defines itself. Whether Nandos want to admit it or not, their brand will forever be associated with one adjective: cheeky.
Nandos is an example of how the marketing of a business can be hijacked by social media. Still, when all the dust has settled, they sell more chicken. However, not all businesses are as lucky. Sometimes social media is a means to protest against a business. Memories Pizza in the USA refused service to a couple on the ground that they were homosexual. In the past, a business may have been able to get away with that kind of discrimination unnoticed. Yet, we now live in an age of social media. The public shamed the company overnight, bringing their Yelp account down from a 5 stars to 1.4. Due to the aggressive backlash on Twitter, they closed down shop for a while. Social media goes to show that not all press is good press.
Despite this, the benefits of social media still outweigh the negatives. Rather than ignoring negativity on the internet, a business needs a strong marketing presence on social media in order to respond to legitimate protesters and trolls alike.
Moreover, a business needs social media to market jobs. Marketing to consumers is important, but with two new people joining LinkedIn every second, marketing to potential employees is just as important.
In the end, companies do not have much choice about having a relationship with social media. Non-engagement can result in memes which take the company’s own brand out of their hands and the wrong kind of engagement can lead to trolling. All businesses have a relationship with social media, but only the great businesses have a great relationship with it.
By Mitchell Labiak, PR Consultant for Watch My Competitor.
PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.
comments powered by Disqus