Boom In The Use Of Social Websites
Social Media websites have grown phenomenally in recent years. Millions of people use social media sites like Myspace, Facebook etc. to connect with their virtual friends and share important tit-bits of their life. It would have been hard to believe that these sites would enable the people to create their own virtual network of friends. Social media sites have become indispensable part of life for millions of people.
It has become possible to keep track of friends and their activities on these social media sites. For example, If Jack is dating Jill, they can post their status on Facebook informing their mutual friends. If they break up with each other, they can post an update informing their friends. A person holding the seminar can send a tweet to his followers on Twitter if there is a change in schedule. This way of communicating has made the entire process of communication fun.
The popularity of social sites has proved the notion that consumer is the king. The consumer is no longer at the mercy of companies if he is not satisfied with their services. He just has to post his experience on the Facebook wall or another social network or share his experience with a simple tweet. Since the communication these sites has potential to become viral, it alerts other consumers about non-responsive company. A complaint on social sites evokes faster response than writing an email to the company.
Companies on their part have begun brand protection exercise. They have become active participants on social sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. Kentucky Fried Chicken successfully re-launched its French fries product with the help of Twitter and Facebook. It is worth mentioning that Kentucky Fried Chicken had failed to launch the product successfully during its first launch. The strategy of Kentucky Fried Chicken was simple. It organized a contest which became hugely popular among the users which saw the phenomenal jump in the sales of fries.
Social sites have proved to be the boon for marketers. They have their potential customers right in front of them. There have been cases where the company whose product failed initially was able to re-launch the product successfully with the help of social sites.
A dissatisfied consumer can easily voice his dissent with a simple tweet which could be read by millions of users. Social sites have become an effective communication tool for individuals and corporations alike.
There is much more scope for innovation in the technological interface of social networking sites. As the technology progresses we may witness the complete integration of various applications within social networking sites.