In today's fast paced, instant access, always on demand society there's little that slips past the notice of consumers who are always online. However, if you're a company that's trying to maintain or grow their business, just catching the attention of potential clients isn't enough.
Today's consumer market lends itself highly and most proficiently to what's trending and popular online. Popular topics trend not only on search engines but also on social media sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google Plus. These behemoths of the social networking world are giants in the information access world as well. When it comes to getting instant and up to date information, social media is where most people start nowadays.
In my parent's generation, word of mouth was how people heard about a product or a company. One person or a couple would purchase something that they truly enjoyed and thought a friend might also like, or friends shared similar interests and lo and behold companies watched their revenue and profits increase.
In today's society, however, more interaction start or are completely done online and that word of mouth sharing of information isn't so easily done. People use their social media contacts to start conversations about everything from how their day is going to both great and not so great experiences they've had with a company or a product.
Admit it, you yourself have used a social media outlet to either vent about how horrible the service was the last time you went shopping, or couldn't give enough praise to the waitstaff or a generous patron the last time you ate out.
My husband and I used it to pay condolences to a family who lost their husband and father during a dirt track race that we were at, and later to pay a special “thank-you” to a customer who paid the bill at our favorite restaurant when my husband and I took our three girls out to dinner one night. Whether we prefer it or not, times have changed, and so has the way we initiate and continue conversations about the services we use and products we buy.
Recently a friend of mine was raving about the new set of windows he purchased at a retailer that was available close to my own home. Since my husband and I had been contemplating getting new windows installed in our home, we decided because of his great experience to give them a try. We were ecstatic that we did, because not only did we get a referral discount, as well as getting him a bonus; we also got a gorgeous set of new and greatly efficient replacement windows Citrus Heights at a fraction of the cost that we had budgeted.
Like all advances in technology and social atmosphere, social media has it's rather obvious downfalls. However, access to information isn't one of them, so the next time you're thinking about using a national chain or brand, as your friends and family what they think and see if something doesn't come through your Twitter or Facebook account or show up on your Google Plus page. I can almost guarantee it will!
