Although I have had an account with Facebook for many years, I have never thought of it as a means to connect with businesses. Although with the momentum that social media has gained, more and more businesses are looking to connect with customers via Facebook. For this blog post assignment, I did a little searching to find what companies had to offer me on their Facebook pages. Two companies I focused on were The North Face and Bose. Both of which are companies that I have been purchasing from for years and I believe create quality products and customer experiences.
I noticed that each of these companies use their Facebook pages to learn from their customers and to create a higher standard of service. I believe the best ways that companies can create experiences or gain insights through social media is to use it to learn what their customers want and deliver on these wants, try to provide information that their customers might be interested in to deepen their interest in the brand, and to address concerns that they may be having.
I noticed that when I navigate to The North Face’s Facebook page that it immediately brought up a contest that asked users to “like” the t-shirt design that was their favorite. Whichever t-shirt wins the contest will be available in January exclusively through their Facebook page. I think this is an interesting strategy because in addition to “liking” their favorite t-shirt design, there is also room to comment on each of the designs. This will allow The North Face to understand which designs are most popular and what people’s reactions are to each of the respective designs. The North Face could then use this information to better design their products according to the input they received from their customers. Also, by only distributing the winning t-shirt through Facebook, they give people an incentive to check back on their Facebook page to see which one was the winner or to get the t-shirt. This contest may also allow people who follow The North Face’s Facebook to feel that their input actually was heard and used in a company decision. This may help increase feelings of goodwill towards this company.
The North Face’s Facebook page also helps deepen The North Face experience by posting event information and videos that they think their customers would enjoy. They have posts that range from videos of rock climbers in the Swiss Alps, to posts promoting contests that give away tickets to events like the X games in Aspen. They also demonstrate the personality of the brand to customers by using Facebook to promote their partnership with The National Park Foundation. When customers use Facebook Deals to check in at any national park, The North Face will donate a dollar to The National Park Foundation. These posts seem to deepen the brand’s image as a company that is adventurous, concerned with the well being of the planet, and wants to get its customer base more involved in outdoor activities. This allows for a more meaningful customer experience with the brand.
Bose’s Facebook page was much different than I had anticipated it. They were very direct in asking for customer insights. On their wall they asked visitors questions like, “When you're considering buying a Bose® product, what influences your decision?” This question gained over 280 responses, which shows how eager visitors were to share their opinions. This is a very direct method of using social media to understand what drives customer-purchasing behavior and what they find important in a product. Bose also had a discussion section on their Facebook page that allows customers to share opinions and get advice from Bose. This helps expand the customer service experience with Bose because people can speak directly with Bose and other users of Bose products.
Overall, these two companies showed me that the content and services they provide on their Facebook pages could provide a more positive and meaningful experience for customers. Facebook also allows these companies to connect with their customers on a more personal level. Just as Groundswell mentioned, these companies should also monitor Facebook as well as other social media outlets (blogs etc.) to watch what other people are saying about their brand. Social media is a relatively new concept, and is still being adapted to create the most value for users and businesses alike. This is definitely an area businesses should begin to look into to expand their marketing efforts since social media probably won't be going anywhere soon.
