Energizing the Base

Transition from traditional communications to social media communications is challenging for many. For many businesses, engaging in social media feels like a loss of control, but as the author of Engage, Brian Solis, told our class last week, businesses never really had the control. Businesses should view social media tools as an opportunity to gain control by listening to their audience, building communities, and having conversations.
New technologies and communication tools are changing the way companies engage with their audience.  The author of Groundswell, Josh Bernoff, discusses how social media has opened up mass amounts of conversation in the middle of the marketing funnel. Businesses have to figure out not only how to get in on the conversations going on in blogs, discussion forums, and social networks, but also how to “energize the base.” This technique requires a company to find it supporters and excite them into spreading the word. The goal of energizing the base is to produce exponential growth through the most powerful form of marketing: word of mouth.  Groundswell demonstrates the goals of energizing the base through the following 1970s Faberge Organics Shampoo ad

Energizing is about “finding enthusiastic customers and turning them into word-of-mouth-machines,” says Bernoff. Enthusiastic customers outperform a businesses marketing team and they can help build your social media community. They may already be engaging in communities about your business or communities that you can relate to. Regardless of who started the community, this is where personal relationships are built and customers are energized. By engaging customers in community and conversation, talking and sharing becomes very easy.  Setting up a product review feature on websites is a great way for businesses to create conversation and energized customers. Disgruntled customers or customers who decide a product just was not right for them are inevitable, but they are often relatively harmless to the business.

In the new age of technology and social media, businesses need to take advantage of the tools at their finger tips. Businesses need to find their enthusiasts in the middle of the marketing funnel in online communities, energize them, and engage in conversation.

This entry is written by Kate Simmons (@ksimmons135).

Tagged communities, conversation