The Trending World of Social Media 2012

Editor's Notes

1. Challenge 4: The Power of the customerNot only do retailers have more information about their consumers, but consumers have more information about retailers. Gone are the days when brands and retailers tell customers what they need and where to purchase these items. In today’s retail marketplace, customers are hyper-connected to technology and are inundated with resources that influence their purchasing decisions. With an overload of information at their fingertips, customers are empowered to make more educated purchasing decisions than ever before.
2. Take any major sports team or major brand… Tom’s Shoes, Charity Water. There is no question where you achieve the ripple in the pond effect of “viral marketing”.. Somebody who has liked your company has shared your content OH HEY here is a company… I have no idea what they do.. I’m going to Like their page.. Spend copious amounts of time surfing. We like on Facebook… what we like in the real world. Facebook liking is a trailing indicator of a relationship not a leading indicator of a relationship
3. Increasing communication between customers: The ability to share information between people is faster and easier than ever before. Social media, email and texting have all made a major change the way we communicate with each other. Consumers are now using these channels to find out what products and brands their friends and family are purchasing and what they think about these items. 24% of American adults say they've posted comments about a purchase they've made & 62% of people read online reviews before making a purchase. In addition posting something on your Facebook wall or tweet a message about a product you want to purchase will immediately provide the consumer with hundreds of opinions and recommendations.
4. Satisfy the CustomerThe easiest, and possibly the most affordable, way to build customer loyalty is to satisfy the customer. Begin by implementing the most basic customer service rule: treat the customer the way you want to be treated when shopping. Ideas: Back in stock emails, customer survey emails
5. Satisfy the CustomerThe easiest, and possibly the most affordable, way to build customer loyalty is to satisfy the customer. Begin by implementing the most basic customer service rule: treat the customer the way you want to be treated when shopping. Ideas: Back in stock emails, customer survey emails