Using Social Media to Stay Connected and Engaged with End-Users
In the days before social networking was widely used, although businesses knew the importance of connecting with their end-users, it wasn’t a very feasible and easy process.
Programs such as consumer betas, field demos and studies, analysis of live site issues, and feedback from end-users through various built-in systems were some of the main channels to gather user inputs and stay connected with them.
Special events were conducted once in a while to keep in touch with the elite or a selected user group often referred to as MVPs (most valuable players). While these continue to exist even today, social media has opened new doors to be in touch with users in real time. The history of social networking is interesting to track. This is no longer an initiative that is handled by just a business or a marketing team.
There is an implied expectation for even executives of companies to be socially connected with end-users through mediums such as Twitter, which has become a very useful tool in dynamic interaction. Understanding how to use these tools to represent a brand and assigning the right people to manage associated efforts go a long way in building a positive presence in the marketplace.
It is becoming exceedingly common to have corporate LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to engage with users and get their input on new and existing products in multiple formats, such as crowd creation, voting, and wisdom. These are very powerful techniques to help companies get new product ideas, stack rank, and filter through existing internal information and big data—with a very fast turnaround.
In addition to these benefits, it more importantly helps connect with the users in having them test your product and provide feedback with a realistic end-user viewpoint. For example, think of campaigns run by companies on Facebook asking users to vote for their favorite designs or competitions asking them to suggest or vote for flavors they would like to see in a beverage company’s production line.
Companies such as Ben and Jerry's, Dunkin' Donuts, and vitaminwater use these techniques quite a bit to stay connected in the exceedingly competitive food and beverage industry. Blogs and vlogs are great ways to keep users updated on important product news and to seek their input.
Knowledge gathering and sharing have reached new heights—with these technology advancements helping companies and users engage in meaningful conversations, stay informed, and make educated decisions.
One additional benefit of the penetration of social networking in the enterprise world is that several new job opportunities are emerging. Newer roles and job opportunities in marketing and product management support and manage end-user interactions, helping the company stay competitive and manage its online presence through techniques such as search engine optimization and social media optimization.
It is encouraging to see the rise of such a positive ecosystem with the goal of ultimately staying connected and engaged with end-users.
