Social Media

The Power Of Social Media

2009 has seen the power of social media reach an all-time high with many of us dedicating our time daily to blogs, chat forums and popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media is a great and powerful marketing tool. As the popularity of social networking, blogging and web chat continues to rise, it is no secret that those brands who fail to embrace such concepts will find themselves lagging behind competitors and possibly losing out altogether on what is an extremely powerful method of customer engagement and communication.

There are possible risks for any business involved with a social networking initiative, the rewards and positive impact on brand identity can be substantial. Social media allows businesses to connect with audiences in new ways and unlike some traditional marketing tactics, paves the way for an interactive two-way conversation. Marketing companies are no longer pioneering this relationship, it's become part of their main stream tools for engagement. Brands are beginning to understand the potential of social media in cementing ongoing relationships with their key target audiences. What's interesting is that it's not just commercial brands that have been getting in on the act; from Barack Obama to the Labour government a wide spectrum of organisations have begun to harness and build on the effects that social media can have on their marketing campaigns.

Jumping on the bandwagon

In particular, Barack Obama's presidential campaign now has presence on no fewer than 16 social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Not only is Obama able to reach the general public on these popular social networks, he is also connected with specific ethnic groups online such as, BlackPlanet for the African-American population. Obama has fully embraced social media throughout his campaign and has continued to do so since the election by updating his Twitter regularly and engaging in discussions on forums with the public on issues that are important to them.

Likewise the Labour party recently unveiled its social networking site Labourspace.com, which along with the existing LabourList.org, invites individuals to bring issues to the attention of Labour politicians. This is a new way for the Government to understand exactly what the general public really want from them and what issues they feel most strongly about. Government campaigns in particular can generate some heated opinions, as such they must be careful to strike the perfect balance between allowing their audience to express their opinions and make suggestions while ensuring that they are taking a responsible attitude to moderation. Taking responsibility for what information appears is the only way to create a safe place for users to interact and a place that they will want to visit again.