According to a research project conducted by research firm OTX shows that social media is influencing purchase decisions.
The story posted by WebProNews indicates that consumers trust bran representatives more than the content on a brand website. They are more interested in exchanges their opinions with a brand representative and are more likely to share information provide by that brand representative. So what does that mean to you? If you have a well established brand you should be actively setting up a social media strategy specifically with a publicly available brand representative.
What exactly does that mean?
First off you should appoint someone in the company as a brand evangelist – someone you trust to represent the brand to it’s fullest and keep customers best interest in mind. You’ll also need to make sure this person is comfortable being in the spotlight because not only are they promoting the brand – but they will be promoting themselves.
Once you’ve identified the person, or people you need to identify the social media strategy. My recommendation includes a mix of the following:
- A corporate / brand blog
- Twitter Accounts
- LinkedIn Accounts
- Facebook Accounts
With the above social networking services in place you’ve got a good mix of opportunities to make yourself available to your customers and prospects. They will be in a position to connect with you, discuss and share their conversations with others in a meaningful way!
My last recommendation is don’t delay. Start now with a small strategy and learn as you go. If you wait you are likely to miss out on this opportunity!
