Social media as the new powerhouse: Creating ‘trust networks’.
Sami Siddiqui looks at how brands are creating’trust networks’ to reach new audiences, and what we can learn from them.
I talk, therefore I am.
Mankind has been involved in intense conversation for centuries – with each other, with themselves, with ideas and with brands around them. We need to be heard; we need our opinions to be voiced so we feel more worthy of those opinions, so we realise we do matter to the world and to ourselves.
Most of our self-esteem is linked to how many people agree with us, and how many heads nod when we present an opinion. This basic human instinct to communicate is the real foundation of social media. We have talked for years, but now when we talk, things happen, events unfold, companies change their strategies, products fail, services flourish, and important people listen. This gives us a power we never knew we had.
Social media is the new powerhouse because I have made it so.
Consumers now interact at a speed which boggles the mind. A bad supermarket experience, and in a second, their entire network of friends knows about it. A helpful barista at a coffee shop, and soon everyone is queuing up to Tom. Your consumers are defining their life experiences online as they go along quite literally. It isn’t about isolated technology buffs living life from the safety of their homes and therefore not posing any tangible threat.
Social media and mobile communication means they are out in the real world, tweeting, messaging and Facebooking as and when the most mundane of events unfold. On average the number of tweets that go out per hour is 1.1 million (sourcepingdom). It’s not as simple as advertising a positive image and expecting it to work – it’s about being on your best behaviour 24/7 because you better believe your consumers are watching. Big brother is history. Welcome big consumer. What does this mean for you?
Continues @http://www.mycustomer.com