While we’re all busy trying to think of ways to deliver successes through social media it’s interesting to experience first-hand how different businesses and industries are approaching it. Thanks to Charles Darwin (amongst others), we know creatures are continually evolving and at different rates and businesses can be likened to different animals in a (consumer) jungle.
Clearly not everything works for everyone, social media is not a cure-all for marketing and communications, but it is accepted as a fantastic opportunity for many to flourish.
The one thing we do know with any certainty, however, is that any evolution is about making small incremental changes and those that get it right tend to survive while those that don’t face the risk of becoming extinct and in years to come we’ll look at their histories to analyse where they went wrong.
Fortunately, for most of us, we can be measured in our actions before and after making any minor changes to our brands and businesses so you’d have to question why anyone wouldn’t look for and use supporting evidence beforehand and then quantify after to evaluate.
The world is continuously modifying, we have climate change and our working environment is heating up a lot quicker. As more demands are placed on each and every one of us the onus on us to make considered and informed decisions grows.
There are now more tools at our disposal to help us extract data yet a lack of data is never the main problem. Interpreting what it means, extracting true insight and knowledge, and acting on it is.
Social listening tools give brands the chance to take quick stock of their surroundings and may tick boxes to head in the right direction, but human interaction is still required to interpret the nuances and subtleties. Using the honed qualitative and quantitative research skills, a brand can learn in more detail about their targets. Using social listening tools are the farmers who harvest the data but it is the analysts who provide the insight and intelligence that make the difference in the on-going hunt for new business and customers
We are still witnessing agencies and brands acting like dinosaurs in the present age as they look to enforce their views and messages onto their target audiences. Agility of consumers now gives them choices and confidence, they want their voices to be not just heard but listened to also and if ignored they will simply go elsewhere.
When customers and prospects feel their voices are heard, your brand can forge emotional attachment that translates into deep-rooted loyalty. True insight highlights what drives what and delivers true incremental value and according to Mr Darwin those brands most responsive to change will be the ones thriving in the future.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”