The Almighty Social Appeal

In our fast paced world, it comes as no surprise that people are looking for newer, faster ways to keep their friends and loved ones up to date, in the loop, and on top of all of the latest happenings. According to recent findings in a study by JPMorgan on social networking behavior, 78% of online social networkers are utilizing sites in order to keep in touch with friends. Social networking is one of the most popular ways to establish and maintain connections with instantaneous results, however, it’s not just friends and family that are getting in on the action. Major brands and smaller retailers are realizing the power of social networking when it comes to building a strong online reputation.

So what does this mean for your site?

An article based on the findings, published in eMarketer, called marketers and e-tailers to action, asking if they were utilizing the right tactics to target the audiences needed, citing that marketers will “get more leverage with consumers by providing widgets and other applications to help people chat and create and share content.”

The bottom line: provide something useful to your target. Offer up widgets. Engage them in forums. Get their friends involved. Word of mouth can be the most powerful form of advertisement available, so be sure that you’re cultivating the good kind. Get more leverage with your consumers by developing a social media campaign that’s built for success – one that helps people stay connected to your brand and each other.
“Social networking is not just about the display advertising, it’s about the other things that you can do with it,” said Ian Schafer, CEO and founder of ad agency Deep Focus. “For example, if my audience is active on Facebook, I want to be sure that I am making it very easy for someone to share whatever content they’re creating or consuming with all their friends.”

Utilizing social networking sites to brand can be one of the first ways you can make benefit of the active boom. Find out where your target markets are active, and then provide them with tools or engaging content that can be useful to them and appeals to their bottom line: connectivity.

“Social networks are where consumers feel comfortable expressing their feelings—good or bad—about companies, products and services,” senior analyst of eMarketer Debra Aho Williamson said in the article. “Marketers, retailers and social networks have an opportunity to tap into this stream of information-sharing.”

In this vein, be sure to pay attention to the feedback social networking can provide your site. If you have a presence on Twitter or Facebook, see what others are saying about you. Offer up a place for comment. Engage your customers with a meaningful conversation. Remember, social networkers control your reputation in this sphere, so be sure to present yourself in a way that is both genuine and unique. Dare to be different. Look for new ways to get your customers involved with your brand. Put yourself out there and stay on top of developing technologies. Staying on top of what others are saying can be the secret to making or breaking your brand.