June 16, 2009
Many people think that social media is confined to the digital space. While many social media activities do occur online, marketers should also see their events as social media. Companies should use social media to connect with customers in the physical, digital, and mobile arenas. For example, Ford successfully engaged consumers in all three arenas of social media. It used the physical, digital, and mobile arenas to connect with customers.
Social media falls in three categories: personal, instructive, and entertainment. For brands to succeed in the personal space, they must personify their brand and show consumers why they should be friends. Examples of instructive social media include blogs, discussion boards, and specialist groups. Some companies are moving customer service onto digital social media platforms, which allows the entire community to help with technical problems. Social media as entertainment is about the videos, images, games, and written content that is engaging via its humor, narrative, novelty, or creativity.
Learn more about how events can be used as a social media platform in this case study.
