Brands on Social Media – Do We have Purpose?

Surprisingly all brands which were successful in their ATL and BTL campaigns are failing miserably in their Digital communication. The reason can be found in the history of communication itself – medium changes and so the treatment.
Let’s ask ourselves whether a brand is a product, service or a commodity. Probably, many of us will choose one of these options. Didn’t we fail to understand that Brand is a living entity and needs to be humanized in approach? Do we get it… no? Let’s examine these –

1. Why people share information
A fascinating study by New York Times Consumer Insight Group revealed the motivations that participants cited for sharing information on social media. These include a desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content to others; to define themselves; to grow and nourish relationships and to get the word out about brands and causes they like or support.

2. The effect of social media
62 percent of people get their news from social media, with 18 percent doing so very often. Are we relevant to our users?

3. The impact of social media on society
Because social networks feed off interactions among people, they become more powerful as they grow. Brands need to be one of those friends. This is a very human reaction when people are given options that absolve them from responsibility to act. This is where the opportunity lies.

4. The impact of social media on commerce
Businesses have realized they can use social media to generate insights, stimulate demand, and create targeted product offerings. This is important in traditional brick-and-motor businesses, and, obviously, in the world of e-commerce. But the flip side is low number of social ‘shares’ can lead to negative social proof and destroy business credibility, if not executed well.

5. Social media on personal relationships
One of the effects of social media is encouraging people to form and cherish artificial bonds over actual friendships. The term ‘friend’ as used on social media lacks the intimacy identified with conventional friendships, where people actually know each other, want to talk to each other, have an intimate bond and frequently interact face to face. This is an opportunity for brands to build communities of like-minded around brand stories.

The Bottom Line for Brands

It’s been said that information is power. Without a means of distributing information, people cannot harness the power. One positive impact of social media is in the distribution of information in today’s world. Platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others have made it possible to access information at the click of a button. If brands are personified well on these platforms, brand stories can be written.