At the social media workshop held at Riara University on the 6th of March Japies of Interactive Concepts talked about how social media has changed consumer behavior.
Why do you need social media?
To engage actively with your customers/clients.
What are people using social media for?
News. People now use social media as a way to find out what’s happening in the neighbourhood or around the world. Companies are breaking news on social media. Social media is also being used to direct people to websites where they can get the full information on a story they may be interested in.
Making decisions. Social media has made it easier to make decisions. If for example you want to take a trip it is easy to go on trip advisor and find out about your preferred hotel. You can see comments of people who have been there and find out if it is worth your while.
Also now potential buyers are able to use their social networks to ask questions. If you want to know whether a certain phone is worth buying, ask your friends on Twitter or Facebook.
Communicate. Social media has made it easier for companies to talk to their customers or potential customers. Social media is great because it allows customers to talk back. It is fast and cheap.
Learn. There are learning opportunities on social media. People use YouTube or blogs to learn new things. Social media is now used as a tool to inform and educate audiences.
Play. You can download games or play games online.
Shop. Businesses now sell their goods and services on social networks. Consumers now use social media as a tool for checking out merchandise like shoes or clothes that they would like to buy. With M-pesa, Paypal , Credit and debit cards it has never been easier to buy and sell things online.
Next week we will talk about the Key principles of social media.
