Social Media, Branding, Relationships and Life
Businesses are about relationships and it can be challenging to keep a track on customers’ needs and take good care of owner-consumer relationship. The consumer participates in the relationship through spending his/her hard earned money for the promise of the brand. But now, in the social media world, all that is changing. The fabric of the relationship has been altered because of social media.
Social media helps people reconnect the links in their life. It enables them to stay in touch with what's happening in the lives of people who matter to them. It allows them to express their views individually on what they like, what they dislike and what they want. It helps them create, control and contribute to a body of knowledge.
The social media movement is altering a number of things.
For a start, social media is changing the source of trust. In the past, people had higher trust in institutions, in the government, in companies etc. Today, their fundamental trust is moving to what their social media group says. With the arrival of Twitter, Facebook, etc., the trust in brands and simple organisation has increased as people believe in actions more than words and post.
Secondly, it is altering the relationships in the family. On an average, an individual has about 200 to 250 friends on various social media sites. Of this, they actively keep in touch with about 50, and are really close to about 10 people. In the past, the family was the core of a person's being and his highest connection was with the family. With social media, a few close friends are now the core, followed by the family, some more friends and relatives.
Relationships are increasing; we just need to maintain it wisely.
Thirdly, social media is changing the concept of news and awareness of it. Social media is the biggest thing in this world which can make things viral rapidly. Nowadays, every teenager knows about what is happening in his/her country, which song/movie is going to release on Friday, who is the most prominent contender for elections etc. On an average, every 15-16 yr old child is making account on Facebook.
Social media is helping people resolve their customer care issues. Consumers now have a voice that is heard by the company and can share their feedback directly. At the same time, young people are leveraging social media to get jobs with their admired companies - Social media is changing the Internet. It is changing the nature of relationships and also the definition of consumer involvement.
The good word of the public has always been important to brands, firms and governments. That's built on reputation and trust. With social media, that's truer than ever before as the relationship paradigm has now become two-way and interactive. Hence, reputation and trust will now have to be managed every day and every minute.
Blog by Nishant from (http://www.buzzooka.in)
