Social Media: Harnessing the opportunities

Many organisations are still finding their feet in the social media arena. Some have yet to fully understand or embrace it and they're missing out on the opportunities it offers. Others patrol it relentlessly, searching for signs of discontent, their fear being the damage that unhappy customers could do to their brand.

But social media is a powerful customer engagement tool, and there are now many examples of organisations which are finding creative ways to capitalise on its rapid spread.

Take coffee giant, Starbucks, for example. They have almost 2 million followers on Twitter, nearly 27 million ‘likes' on their Facebook site and their own YouTube channel. On Twitter they answer questions and retweet what people are saying about the brand. On Facebook, they post content such as videos, blog posts and photos and fans have a place for open discussions and comments. Starbucks actively seeks ideas from customers on a website called ‘My Starbucks Idea', where a blog by employees provides updates and feedback. Lately, they've been running a social media campaign encouraging followers/fans to 'Find the Roast You Love Most', which is spearheading the launch of a new roast in the US.

Starbucks is gaining valuable customer feedback and market research through social media. At the same time they’re building brand loyalty and encouraging advocacy. Not bad for a day's work on the keyboard.

12th Jan 2012