Cape Town - Social networks gives companies advocates for the brand as
long as firms engage positively with the public, experts have said.
"Something
like social media gives you that direct contact to people who want to
associate themselves with your brand. Something like a 'like' on
Facebook or a follower on Twitter, in theory, that's an advocate for
your brand," Stuart Anderson social media executive at FTI Consulting
told News24.
Social media use is accelerating among South African businesses as companies look for growth in difficult market conditions.
A survey of 80 countries revealed that 55% of companies in SA are using platforms like Twitter to engage with customers.
"Online
conversations are happening in every part of the world and our ability
to capture them is critical to harness the potential of consumer
awareness and brand power for a business," said Dr Corine van Erkom
Schurink, analytics team lead at PBT, who evaluated the Regus survey.
Conversations
Businesses
should be aware of the conversations happening in the social networks,
and be prepared to join those discussions, regardless of the tone,
Anderson said.
"They should definitely be listening and
monitoring and aware of what's going on in these venues. These
conversations are happening and don't bury your head in the sand and
pretend that it's not because they are.
"The key of branding and
marketing is to reach an audience with a message so therefore you need
to be in the venues that your audience are occupying."
Some
commentators have said that social media will replace traditional media
channels in the way companies engage with their customers.
In
developed markets, advertising has been falling in print publications
while Facebook's recent IPO has seen the company valued at $100bn.
"Before the model was kind an interruption model whereby you do advertising, whereas now, it's really more permission-based.
"Basically now, it's inbound communications and that's where the currency is today," said Brian Wendel from FTI.
Information
Having conversations about a brand was more important than just lots of followers, he added.
Businesses should make better use of the information that they receive social media marketing, an analyst said.
"Many
organisations do not know what to do with the information that can be
obtained through social media. Through Sentiment Analysis, businesses
can gain a clear understanding of the customer - as we are all well
aware, customer is king - and where their prospects lie, which will
enable organisations both big and small to compete more effectively and
efficiently in their space," said Jessie Rudd, data analyst at PBT
Group.
Key for companies is to align social media marketing with any kind of marketing that they engage in, said Anderson.
"People
are getting caught up on this 'social' word. How do you deal with any
kind of marketing? You formulate a strategy, you see where your
audiences are, you create some messages that resonate with them and you
engage with them."