Who rules the roost?

student — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:31:00 +0000

Social media is the extended hand that beckons all marketers and organizations to come along. This is a tricky proposal and seemingly tough to convince upper management of the benefit due to the fact that there are not a lot of ROI calculations, it is not obvious which department should be in charge and there are risks.

I am aware of the facts about how blogging drives traffic to websites and how large companies have advanced with the utilization of social media and I know how many people are on Twitter (175 million). Despite this, I still have trouble giving advice as to the implementation of social media as a form of marketing that has direct benefit.

I have found that when I put social media in the context of public relations, I have an easier time conceptualizing results. Companies believe in the value of having a public relations team that pushes stories, maintains relationships and is well connected within the community. Social media platforms are the outlet for public relations and public relationships.

Two bloggers who I cross paths with regularly have very different views on this topic. To learn more about why social media is NOT public relations click here, and to learn about why social media IS public relations, click here. I would strongly encourage you to check out their opinions and see where it falls within your organization’s conversation.

-Kelly

photo source: designbeep.com

“Likes” vs. Customer Reviews – Whose Side Are You On?

student — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:04:39 +0000

In a recent article by Kara Nortmann, she declares that the traditional written “online review” as we know it has met its match in the now unmistakable Facebook “like” button. With 500 million users and counting, Facebook has become the most visited site on the web – and not only are these users visiting the site everyday, but they are using the “like” button on a regular basis to show support for countless companies, brands, and products.

Because people are more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend, it’s easy to see why the Facebook “like” button has become so popular: the more people who “like” your business, the better your exposure, the better your reputation!

But if it’s true that people are now turning to Facebook “likes” for their product recommendations, are they ignoring online reviews? From product reviews on Amazon to restaurant reviews on urbanspoon.com, to local reviews on Google Places, online reviews are everywhere. Chances are, that if you’ve run a Google search on a specific business or product recently, more than one review site popped up on that first page of results. And although personal recommendations are always preferred, recent statistics show that while 90% of online consumers trust recommendations from people they know, 70% will also trust opinions of unknown users!

So, my question to the readers is this: Who are YOU more likely to trust? Facebook “likes” or online reviews?

-Stephanie G.

Roberts Wesleyan College » Online Reviews

Who rules the roost?

“Likes” vs. Customer Reviews – Whose Side Are You On?