May 24, 2013
Social is a transformational and revolutionary medium that has given consumers worldwide an empowered and renewed spirit. Consumers now have more channels than ever before to learn, share, engage and let their voices be heard—and all in real-time. It has made us view “word-of-mouth” and its persuasive power in a brand new and powerful light. Gartner noted in a recent presentation that today’s empowered consumer has put the nail in the coffin of the traditional marketing funnel. Today’s modern marketer puts the consumer at the center and creates ongoing relationships. Social media usage, fueled by mobile growth, has forever transformed the way consumers and businesses interact. Today’s empowered consumer is driving change across the enterprise, not just in marketing.
Social holds tremendous power for customer relationship management and the customer experience. Just think about it: social is the world’s largest focus group. You can seize on those insights 24/7 to better understand your customers’ wants, needs and desires and respond in a more personalized manner. Today, only 20% of Fortune 500 companies are using Facebook for customer response, according to a recent Bluewolf infographic. Yet, according to eMarketer, one-fifth of consumer time spent online is on social networks, led by Facebook. Additionally, the Bluewolf data revealed that 58% of companies are not responding to tweets from customers about negative brand experiences. It’s a multichannel world out there. Why interact via email and phone only when social is where interaction is happening?
