One of the biggest influences on society in recent years has been the rise of social media. The technology has had an impact on politics and relationships – we’re constantly connected and willing to interact. The change has also been felt by businesses.
The modern company cannot operate without social media and the impact has truly changed the way businesses need to connect with consumers and the public. What are the biggest changes businesses have witnessed?
1. Better customer service
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest changes has come in the form of improved customer service. Social media has opened the door for instant communication and connection even in situations where the customer might not seek to talk to the company directly.
Businesses can engage with both positive and negative feedback more easily and use the communication as an example to others. Businesses are able to talk to customers in real time and with relatively small investment, compared to some other customer service channels.
2. More transparency
Social media has definitely created an environment where communicating problems is easier. For businesses this has resulted in slight fear of the backlash – noticing that one angry customer who rants on social media about a mistake the business made. But the fear of backlash has helped create a situation where businesses have to be transparent and engage in meaningful ways with the customer. Social media has created a platform where companies can get into trouble, but also to solve a problem and get positive attention. Businesses don’t have the option to hide things because social media gives voice to everyone. While the fear of backlash and the need for transparency could put some businesses off, the benefits of social media interaction have meant most companies are still trying to master the platform instead of hiding from it.
3. Flexible content creation
There’s also been a shift in how businesses generate content, what kind of content they generate and what sort of benefit they receive from it. Content was not as big of a thing prior to social media. Certain companies had a blog, but generating interest towards it was much harder. Now, content is being touted on social media, with nearly 2.5 million pieces of content being shared just on Facebook every minute.
Article writing services are better than ever, too, and be a big help in establishing your business as a content rockstar. With the help of the right content marketing, businesses can create all sorts of content from videos to blog post and share it immediately on social media. The instant reach of millions of people makes more sense in a marketing sense. Not only can content be more flexible, but the fact that you are sharing it on social media makes a massive saving for your marketing business.
4. Targeted advertising
Social media has been hugely influential in terms of marketing and advertising. Businesses have an actually direct link to consumers and interacting with customers is much easier. No longer do businesses need to create appealing advertising with different types of customers in mind, knowing that some of the people looking at the ads won’t be interested.
With social media, it is possible to reach the people who are the actual target market. The consumer is there and the business’ role is simply to define the parameters.
5. Organic marketing
Furthermore, social media has opened the opportunity for organic marketing. Transparency is higher and businesses are not just shoveling their products down the throats of consumers. There is a genuine conversation going on and businesses are constantly trying to show the actual value of their products or service, instead of just making a sale. Partnerships and affiliations are more common, connecting different business together for the benefit of the company, but also the consumer. Instead of creating content on their own, businesses can rely on affiliates to help boost their content.
Social media has changed how businesses need to operate, advertise and interact with their customers. While the platforms have offered plenty of opportunities for businesses and boosted customer interaction, mastering social media has not been easy. Businesses have failed and succeeded – in today’s world, businesses must learn to harness social media in order to succeed.
