I’ve been reading a number of reports on the results of social media. According to one of them, as many as 80% of consumers use social media for recommendations before purchasing a product. I know for myself how valuable I find Twitter. Just yesterday, I was having trouble installing a new software application I’d downloaded. One comment on Twitter and the company responded within five minutes asking what the problem was. Try getting that level of service from email or phone calls.
I’m in the process of starting a Facebook Fan Page, so I can’t say a lot about that just yet. My current Facebook account is a personal one and I like to keep it for family and friends. Lisa and Diane, the creators of the Mefest Women’s Show in Waterloo, rely on a Facebook group to keep in touch with their hundreds of followers.They can’t say enough about the benefits.
A case study was done on a restaurant in the states that asked their customers to become fans on their restaurant Facebook Fan page. The results: the Facebook users visited more often, told their friends, and spent more when they came to dine. The Facebook users were a small percentage of the total customers though, so the study was inconclusive. Still, it shows that these channels shouldn’t be ignored. Isn’t it time you added social media to your marketing campaign?
Carol