The proliferation of social media in business activities over the past few years has created the closest communication that businesses have known with customers. Customers can now voice complaints and suggestions over social media as well as procuring the latest deals. Businesses know that continuing to keep in touch with customers is good business.
Community management tools are hot as well. Facebook’s Groups feature is very popular with new additions every month, including a selling feature in May. Another company is Jive Software, whose communities are used by the likes of many Fortune 500 companies. In both instances, customers, partners, and fans of the brand are able to stay in touch and create effective business communication.
Brands also create communities because they know what can happen if they don’t. United Airlines for example, was caught in the fray of social media when luggage handlers broke fragile guitars by throwing them onto the airplane carousel. This resulted in the creation of the “United Breaks Guitars” YouTube video which went viral, costing the company a great deal of business and a public relations nightmare. Costly marketing mistakes as a whole result lost customers and a shattered public perception.
On the flipside, customer communities serve brands well. Fortune 500 technology company Cisco, for example, leverages communities to stay in touch with partners and customers. Both parties within the communities are able to learn about new products, provide their thoughts, and gain new knowledge about Cisco’s product portfolio. Such a strategy reduces friction between customers and companies since there’s less marketing budget spent on pull marketing.
—Article by Albert Qian/ Featured Post via Curatti. Get the Insider's Edge! Create an engaged community around your business or product with a quick course from author Justin Seeley. Discover how to find and attract an audience; design a consistent brand and message across social networks; engage your followers in real conversations; craft content that will be popular with your followers; and ultimately cultivate a community of people who are passionate about the same thing.
Brands Create Communities to Interact With Customers.
“The best way to predict your future is to create it”―
“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
― Peter F. Drucker
