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Fans or Friends?
One of my favorite YouTube personalities is Jenna Mourey (a.k.a. Jenna Marbles). I know I'm going to be judged for that, but I really like how confident and sure of herself she is, especially when she's being weird or silly. The reason she can be herself online is because she considers her followers to be "friends" instead of "fans," and she makes that clear in a lot of her videos. The difference between fans and friends is that fans are detached, but friends are treated with more intimacy and as equals. She's been able to grow a pretty big following because of that.
So, what if businesses marketed themselves in the same way? I mentioned in my first post that consumers want to do business with companies they have a connection with. They want that human interaction, and social media is the best way to accomplish that. The problem is that a lot of companies are so focused on gaining fans, followers, and "Likes" that they forget that the most important component of social media marketing is the interaction.
In this week's lecture, my professor talked about how maintaining a social media strategy isn't about just posting something and moving on or forgetting about it; it's about engaging in conversation. The Internet isn't "read-only" anymore. The Web 2.0 is "read-write," which essentially means that anyone can publish something online, but in this case it means anyone can comment on what you post. This is a great opportunity that most companies aren't taking advantage of.
I like the way Mark Schaefer explains it in Social Media Explained. Using the example of building friendships at school by inviting people over your house and spending some time at theirs, he says companies should be spending time at their consumers' "houses." He says a brand should be a "buddy" and should reward consumers with personalized attention. That part is lacking from a lot of social media marketing strategies.
Now, there are companies out there that are using social media correctly, and in an article posted in December 2014, Business News Daily listed 10 companies that used social media really well to interact with their consumers and enhance customer service efforts. These companies stood out that year because they made sure to respond to comments made by their customers, showed some personality in their interactions with consumers, and even followed customers back on some social media platforms. The thing is, they shouldn't have to stand out among their competitors and other companies. The way they use social media should be the norm, not the exception. The best way to have a successful social media marketing strategy is to treat your consumers like friends, not fans.