How is the new consumer integrating consumer activities into their social life? How do customers prefer to express loyalty to brands, products, and businesses? How much more important is “word-of-mouth” in today’s interconnected world?
One of my favorite companies that I not only follow on Twitter, but on all social networks is Designer Shoe Warehouse (“DSW”). DSW’s social media management is well-handled: a large amount of interaction is happening between followers because questions are asked and authentic engagement that is entertaining and valuable occurs regularly.
As a marketer, this is very important to me because it represents a significant shift in the buyer-seller paradigm. Think about how consumers made buying decisions 20 years ago. Now think about how you make those same decisions today. Chances are, you’re making decisions much differently and the Internet has had a considerable influence at some point along the way.
Social media can be an enormous asset to small businesses. It can help grow your consumer base and keep existing customers actively engaged with your product. What many don’t realize, however is that social media can also be used to avert disaster.
While perusing the Internet this morning I came across an article entitled “Are Twitter and Facebook Affecting How We Think?” which caused me to think about how my generation, well, thinks. The article’s thesis, that as the young generation spends more and more time online using social media their core mental processes are actually altered immediately rang true.
As a recent college graduate, I have begun the transition from collegiate socialite to an aspiring professional by downplaying many of things I did in college on a daily basis. However, this lifestyle transformation also rings true for the way I go about creating my new niche among the social media society. Of course, I am not changing who I am completely; rather, I am simply making a conscious effort to accurately and effectively create and convey my personal brand for those with whom I interact online.
I’ve been thinking a lot about great examples of social media. The most successful companies are usually the most creative and often use their pages to provide value and interact with consumers. On the flip side, companies who lack good social media interaction usually commit one (or several) of the same mistakes. Those mistakes are…
A great example of both of these advantages can be seen with the recent Icelandic volcano; many airlines have been using Twitter as a means to communicate with disgruntled travelers. @BritishAirways, @AmericanAirlines, and @VirginAtlantic are just a few companies who have tapped into Twitter as a solution.
A few weeks ago I blogged about a company I think has excellent presence on social media: DSW. Both their Twitter and Facebook pages communicate effectively with their fans and promote interaction along with a love of shoes.
This week, I’d like to focus on another company with an interesting social media strategy: Club Fitness.
At the top of my new favorite websites list is DSW’s Twitter page, @DSWShoeLovers. In addition to the expected updates about new merchandise, appearances of DSW in the press, and other fairly standard tweets, DSW is doing something I find fairly rare: creating a truly interactive experience for its followers.
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