Social Business is the Way Moving Forward

Whether it is managing social media risks, understanding how to utilise it or simply diversifying communication channels, social media’s influence on business is being felt in various ways.

Something that has been slow to materialise is that social media is much more than technology.  The technology is simply the vehicle which is allowing the shift to occur.  Mobile technology and the ease of communication mean that communication now comes ‘with us’ as opposed to ‘to us’.  These changes which are developing are arguably altering the way we interact, the way we make decisions, buy things and connect.  What does this mean for business?

Human beings are ‘social’ creatures and social media provides a great platform for the social element to come out.  Social media is centred around the user; it is about being connected; engagement and participation; openness and transparency; and conversations and communities.  This is impacting on the way individuals connect, search for and receive information.  This ‘social’ element is changing the business paradigm to a degree because customers are changing the way they interact with businesses.

Business is now more than just features and benefits, it about sharing information and providing value.  It is a different kind of buying; individuals want to have an ‘experience’ as opposed to just buying things.  They don’t want to be sold to or marketed to.  There is so much of this saturation that customers are turning off and are not hearing the marketing message.  That is why marketing on social media doesn’t work effectively.

Individuals want to connect with businesses to find out what they are about.  They are more conscious about who they buy from or do business with.  They expect more from businesses than they have previously.  They want to shop, buy or engage when it suits them not the business.  This is a fundamental shift in the business vs customer relationship.  The customer now has much more say, more information and more choice available to them.

Those businesses that provide the ‘right fit’ in terms of values and building relationships will gain a competitive edge because they will have connected in an genuine way.

What are people’s thoughts?

Thanks for reading! Share your thoughts…..

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Tags: Business vs Customer relationship • Social Business • Social Engagement • Social Media Content