Social media greatly influences modern communication and interaction. In addition, it changes the way we share information, the frequency with which we share it and its amount. It is now clear that online social platforms are having a large impact on our everyday lives.
Social media is also used in politics. Barack Obama, for example, built and promoted his presidential campaign by heavily using and relying on social websites. In addition, social media has the power to change the world. Social networks triggered the Arab Spring. It gave young people a place to gather and discuss their views.
The private sector is also being affected by the online social revolution. Consumers can now change business rules and norms thanks to social media. Private companies today are more focused on communication with their clients, openness and even socially-responsible side activities, campaigns and events.
Direct Contact with Consumers
For the first time ever, consumers have the chance to easily voice their opinion through social media. They can contact companies and brands or gather in groups and pages no matter where they come from or what they work and like. The reason why this is a significant event is that it gives consumers the power to control the private sector. A big part of the private sector is now aware that social websites can easily increase or decrease sales. That is why companies cannot afford to overlook social platforms.
Now, more than ever, consumers affect the work and strategies of businesses and brands. Moreover, often the clients are the ones that generate the ideas. Companies read their feedback and opinions and they use them when they develop new products or services. Businesses today don’t simply think they know the needs of their consumers, they are certain of that.
Communication before Business
Consumers’ opinions about a company are largely influenced by the way it reaches back to them. People are always impressed when they receive a response by the brand itself. That is why businesses try to be as communicative as possible on the social platforms. In that way they show that they appreciate and care about their clients.
Image-Making not Relevant Anymore
The online social world is impossible to control. You cannot impose rules or boundaries. There, anyone can voice their thoughts, including a company’s employees. In other words, private businesses can no longer maintain a perfectly polished image. As a result, companies are becoming more and more open and honest with their consumers.
Social Issues
One of the most interesting things about social media is that it is now encouraging a new trend among private businesses – social activities and campaigns. More and more companies are supporting a particular non-profit cause or event. Some are even starting their own social campaigns. UK supermarket chain Stainsbury’s organized an online campaign for healthy lifestyles, while energy company EDF Energy tried to make people think more about the dangers of climate change.
Social media also allows consumers to organize their own campaigns in order to attract a company’s attention. Telecom company Sprint, for example, changed its policies to offer better protection for domestic violence victims after an online petition in which participated 175,000 consumers.
Social media gives people the chance to share their opinion and be heard. Businesses that don’t use the benefits of social platforms to communicate with clients and listen to their ideas, will only lose. In the world we are living in today, social media is a key to both success and failure. That is why the private sector should use it wisely and with care.
