The social web has changed the way we now discover, consume and share information and experiences online. And when it comes to social media and conversational marketing, most business owners are scratching their heads trying to figure out what it is, and how they can use it to build brand awareness, engage their online audience, and ultimately generate revenue.
Social media is about people sharing content and experiences with other like-minded others on the social web. Social media / conversational marketing involves using social destination sites, applications, and tools in an integrated way to empower customers to promote and share a brand’s message with their friends. It could be anything from consumer generated videos that consumers pass along to friends, to having a page on a social network site where your audience can become a “fan” of your company and encourage their friends to connect as well.
An example of consumer engagement around a brand on Facebook
To better understand how companies can harness the power of social media, I’ve provided a link to Absolut Vodka’s ‘In An Absolut World‘ commercial for your viewing pleasure. I’ve also included a screenshot of the conversations that took place around the commercial on my Facebook profile page.
Within a few hours of posting the commercial to Facebook, Absolut vodka had a number of my friends engaging around their content – watching the commercial, rating it, and leaving comments to share their thoughts/feedback. And each time they engaged, their conversations and activities were broadcast to friends through the Facebook newsfeed feature. Talk about brand ‘buzz’!
So what did we learn? First, online audiences are interested in engaging with fun, interesting or educational content. Second, it’s best if the audience doesn’t ‘feel’ the brand’s presence when they consume content. The brand’s message / product can be ‘baked-in’, but not staring you in the face. (That’s no fun!) And lastly, it shouldn’t feel as if the brand is selling the audience something. Having customers spend 3 minutes of their precious online time watching branded entertainment content is valuable in and of itself. Oh, and let’s not forget one very important thing about brands, social media, and the social web – brands are mere participants in the conversation, yet not in complete control of the conversation.
