Week 10 Assignment, Part 1
I think having interaction through the world of digital media we are able to access these days is awesome. The ability to share pictures, stories, experiences, knowledge etc. with people from every corner of the world allows me to connect with others that share my passion. I have been able to learn so much from using YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook that would have taken me a lifetime to gather using old methods from before the dawn of the Internet. I am a big fan of the human aspect of social media.
When is it not appropriate? Even though social media started as ways to get people to connect with each other, the business world has found another way to get their products in front of our eyes. This should have been predicted. After all, how many of us actually pay attention to TV, radio or billboard advertising anymore? I feel that the human touch may not have place in an advertiser's push to get the word of a new product out. In that case, using intimate, human interest may seem too disingenuous. I'd prefer in that instance to just have a good presentation of whatever product it is so that I can evaluate whether or not that product has value for me.
If a business is interested in how their product has affected the lives of their customers maybe some human interest type of advertising may be appropriate. For me, company to individual human interest stories will turn me off. If a social media account that I follow is from a real person, I'd be much more inclined to open my wallet for something they endorse.
I try to use my blog to connect with other real people. I do this so much that I may have some trouble coming up with good business uses for my social media empire. This post and this class have helped me to rethink my social media strategies. Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end. Thanks for reading!
Hi, Mathew. I think you made an interesting point about businesses using social media to market their products to potential customers. Sometimes, I agree that it can be so tiresome to see so many ads on Facebook pop up for items that we ultimately have no plans on buying, especially if we have just recently visited websites advertising those products. However, it is understandable that a lot of companies would want to use social media to find new customers because many people, especially millennials, are no longer watching traditional TV. Companies are aware that they need millennial customers in order to make the highest profits possible, so they are using social media in order to advertise to prospective millennial customers because that’s where the majority of millennials spend time nowadays when they are in front of a screen. Anyway, though, I certainly agree that a lot of people are more likely to buy certain products based on the recommendations of their friends and other people that they trust. I also think that businesses should craft more personal posts on social media sites rather than only creating posts about upcoming sales, but they must be careful about doing because sometimes businesses have lost customers over making posts or statements that customers disliked. In the age of social media, businesses are walking on a thin, tight rope between trying to be intimate with customers and trying to remain distant enough to limit their likelihood of offending customers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to leave a comment. You make some good points about the need for companies to try to reach their audiences with the tools at hand. I don't envy them trying to navigate the tricky world of social media. One misstep and a very negative viral post can derail a great deal of prior efforts.
DeleteHuman touch is important and too much business makes is unreal. I really enjoyed your perspective!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback! Its always nice to know that someone got some benefit from my post.
DeleteI really appreciated all of the thought you put into this response! When you talked about real people promoting products, and feeling more inclined to purchase in this regard... I completely agree! For example, I can watch advertising from businesses (as you've mentioned), and still wouldn't find myself wanting to purchase. However, if I see recognition from people I follow throughout social media platforms, I'm really begin to question if I need that or not. I really thought you drove that point home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! There is a fine line between good peer-to-peer promotions and someone I follow suddenly "selling out" and shilling some junk for a buck. Consumers are much more savvy these days making it tough for businesses to really get the word out. I prefer knowing that someone I have some level of trust with recommends a product or service.
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