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Social media has opened new channels of communicationThe massive adoption of social media such as Facebook and Twitter has impacted the way we live and work – even when we are not online. Ashika Kalyan, group executive for Marketing and Strategy at Business Connexion, expands on how people and companies use these channels of communication.
If you think about your public identity and contact details, you will realise that it is not sufficient to have a mobile phone number and an e-mail address. Your account name on services such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype and many others is now equally important – colleagues and friends expect to get hold of you that way.
With all the hype and massive usage figures that are reported often, it is easy to lose sight of how social media, also known as Web 2.0, has changed the way we live and work.
It is the age of social networking. Spending more time at the keyboard, being connected 24/7 and having mobile access from practically any location has not made us less sociable. The technology allows us to take our social activities online and, used intelligently, adds to our abilities to network and organise our lives at work or play.
These online services mean we can customise the communities we join and the circle of influence we cultivate to suit our personal interests and activities. And that is independent of location, geography or national boundaries.
Recognising the trend
Some commentators expected much of the Web 2.0 trend to be a short-term fad. The reported usage figures are difficult to verify, but they point to genuine adoption, not merely a passing fashion.
The evidence is all around us. Anyone who is active on Twitter or Facebook knows how much information is being shared and how many messages are being sent.
In the United Kingdom, Facebook is the leading site for mobile phone users, according to a survey done by GSMA Mobile Media Metrics, as reported on the website T3.com: Facebook leads with 16 million mobile users and Google is second with 4.5 million (December 2009 figures).
Locally, Facebook monthly figures reported on Bizcommunity.com are equally impressive: 2.6 million unique browsers, over one billion page views and about 46% of users making daily access – 78% using the service weekly.
Those figures include access from any device, including desktops, laptops and mobile telephones.
In my marketing and strategic business capacity at Business Connexion, I am keenly aware of what a massive trend social media services represent.
A few years ago, social media was viewed as something for young people. The early versions of MySpace and Twitter looked that way and some companies were quick to take advantage of using these new channels.
Since then, social media has become far more mainstream and many more businesses are looking to make use of new ways of reaching out to employees and customers.
Now, we see companies that specialise in offering advertising through Facebook ads, “tweets”, bulk SMS – all taking advantage of the fact that people are, generally, always connected on some device, no matter where they are.
Network solutions providers deal directly with how companies use and control their Internet access. No longer is this a simple matter of having a desktop network sitting behind a firewall. It includes remote workers with mobile laptop access and a rapidly growing number of people using high-end mobile phones as well.
The way in which companies map out their strategies for dealing with social media usage and take advantage of social media to support their communications and brand is critical to maintaining a positive perception among the public as well as a competitive edge.
Mixed blessing
As with any new technology, there are positive and negative impacts. This is particularly true of ‘disruptive’ technologies that change lifestyles and business models, forcing a radical rethink of how we live and work.
It would be fair to say that social media services are disruptive technologies. The widespread adoption puts them on par with the early adoption of e-mail. More important is how these new channels are being used.
In marketing, there is a huge difference between ‘push’ and ‘pull’ models. Social media means that the users – basically, the customers – are more in control of what they do, what personal information they expose on the Internet and what level of activity they maintain.
This means that push models, where advertising or information messages are sent or presented without a user opt-in, are being replaced by pull models, where the message is designed to draw in the user. This often is customised to suit the service being used or the personal interests of the user.
For companies that use this effectively and intelligently, there is a large and receptive audience. For companies that are not able to manage their social media profiles properly, there can be serious risks of brand dilution, reputation damage or even leaks that disclose confidential information.
Policies that companies should apply for dealing with social media have to face in two directions. Controls need to be in place so that employees do not disclose intellectual property, harm the company’s reputation, open up security risks or spend hours ‘socialising’ when they should be working.
For customers and the general public, a company requires a presence in the world of Web 2.0 services which supports its brand and key marketing messages. This requires a holistic strategy that takes into account Web 2.0 as part of the mix for the marketing, communications and media profile.
While there is an obvious focus on public image and consistent messaging, social media also can play a valuable role in supporting internal communications and morale. Companies that embrace social media with a complete vision achieve a competitive advantage both internally and externally.
On the risk exposure side, it is critically important to have policies in place that control user activities. These policies have to be managed and audited. There are genuine concerns about leaks of confidential information or the ever present worry that viruses and malware can get into the network through the file sharing that is often part of the social media service being used.
For many businesses, the ability to achieve good security while still taking advantage of social media usage and exposure is beyond the capacity of their own information technology departments – they are either too busy or lack the expertise.
There are examples of companies that place an outright ban on social media usage. That may be an effective, brute-force way of dealing with the security issues, but it can have a negative impact on employee morale or even result in a zero profile among the vast community of social media users.
With proper planning, consulting input and a professional network services provider, a company can indeed have the best of both worlds.
They can have security and still use social media effectively for internal communication, public profile and enhancing their brand image.
Accepting that social media services are here to stay, that there is massive adoption by users and that the smart money is already on using these services intelligently, may seem like bowing to the inevitable.
However, the investment by major industry players such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft speaks volumes for how seriously they take the whole issue of Web 2.0. Google is adding social networking features to its Gmail service – a clear acknowledgement of Facebook’s progress – and Microsoft actively is promoting better integration between Facebook and its own search engine, Bing. This has been covered widely, even by mainstream titles such as the Wall Street Journal. It is something major businesses are watching closely.
These companies would not be making such moves unless they believed in the future and potential of social media. Users already have voted in large numbers to show they want these services and the major service providers clearly see it as a growth point for their future revenue.
What can be missed when merely looking at the usage statistics and bottom-line figures is the impact social media has had on people – whether they are chief executive officers, marketing directors or simply the man in the street.
Social media has opened new channels of communication and established new audiences that smart companies can use advantageously.
These services have changed the way we live and work. Because they are mobile, they liberate workers from cubicles or specific locations.
For the general public, they mean that we can access the information and people we want, when we want.
It is a win-win situation for customers – and the companies that use social media effectively.
Ashika Kalyan
