“The exciting thing about social media is that it offers the opportunity to engage in two-way conversations with customers. What better way to know how to best serve your customers than to hear directly from them?” says Jeffrey Hayzlett Chief Marketing Officer at Kodak, a company that takes social media seriously.
Social networking sites are a marketer’s paradise. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram and those currently under the radar just waiting to burst into the marketplace are ripe with customers just “hanging out … waiting to strike up a conversation with a company, to be informed,” says Hayzlett. “Start your conversation. The customer is waiting for you like never before.”
It’s a 180 from the 80s when telemarketers on behalf of companies annoyed consumers, and began interrupting dinner conversations becoming an uninvited dinner guest for decades. The tides have turned. Customers now want to hear from businesses now and more importantly, they want businesses to hear them. Social media is an open invitation for companies to say what they want to say and engage in a conversation with their consumer. Take advantage. It’s a free focus group. Find out what your customers want, ask them without paying them to come in a sit in a room and test out your gadgets or products.
Do something clever on FB and you are bound to be included in the dinner table conversations in homes all over America – all over the world! Think of it this way: you’ve been invited to dinner. If you don’t accept the invitation not only are snubbing the hostess and host, you’re telling them to close the door and lock it because you’d rather eat dinner at someone else’s house. Um, rude!
Social media is a connector in a disconnected world. “Networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter, news-sharing and bookmarking sites like Delicious and Digg, and photo- and video-sharing sites like [Instagram] and YouTube can be exciting new avenues for communication,” says Hayzlett.
Start communicating.
