The Importance of Social Media for Pre-launch of New Vehicle Models

As a vehicle fan, I have always been attracted by various car designs and its well performance. Especially, when I know my favorite car would be released new model, I couldn’t control my curiosity to getting closer to that new model.

I believe that people like me are a lot since I have seen a large number of vehicle forums, which provide spaces gathering people together to talk about their interests. Every year, vehicle companies will release new models. People’s expectations for their favorite cars lead them to talk and research all relevant news. For example, People will guess what their favorite cars would be looked like, and what new features that the new model would be possessed. All these questions are originated from curiosities and enthusiasm toward their beloved brands.

Click here for Volkswagen forum

Click here for Automotive forum

Click here for Germancar forum

Companies are smart that they know how to grab fans’ attentions. Before an exact releasing date, companies will do continuous actions to arise customers’ interests based on their curiosities.

A great example is that there will always be some sort of spy shot showing online. Once people see this news, they would definitely talk about their expectations on the upcoming model somehow.

In addition, companies will support third parties to provide professional vehicle test reports on new models, like Topgear, which creates a fair amount of auto shows available on line.

So, it is important to build forums:

1. Companies can listen to and talk with their groundswell like real persons, as well as energize it by leading fans to the new models.

2. It is a place to get fans closer to each other and to reach the groundswell more easily when companies are planning any campaign.

3. It is a short cut for companies to get a wide range of opinions on their new products in order to be better satisfying their customers.

Groundswell is being taped since companies keep posting interesting topics to engage with their groundswell and acquire the needs of their customers. Fans would be excited and maintain a proper noise in the groundswell when they are getting closer to uncover the veil of the mystery. 

Reading Reflection #2 Win-win Solution

Since groundswell has been mentioned in previous blog, we know that groundswell is a need, which generates a strong power gathering people together. Now we will talk about how to turn groundswell to our advantages by tapping the groundswell for companies.

First of all, I have to thanks to the new technologies that enable the happening of groundswell. In addition, because of this, companies could break a new path, which involves more interactions with their customers. This means that not only do companies output their information and products to reach target audience, but also feedback can be inputed. Also, customers even can engage to product co-development.Actually, there have been a lot of social media providing various ways for companies to listen to the groundswell, to talk with the groundswell, and energizing the groundswell. Even better, we could combine these three ways to help the groundswell support itself.

Fortunately, customers are willing to share their knowledge and help each other in order to fulfill their psychic income. They make companies' community become real and useful. For companies, customers' self-interactions are very valuable since this action not only can save a lot of money on customer service, but also customers would somehow talking about the companies and products, which would potentially and directly help companies to refine their products. It's always crucial to know how and from where to satisfy customers. Taking customers advice and feedback will make customers feel their voices are concerned. That's how they feel that they are supported. Actually, no matter what products are selling in a company, the most important thing is always finding out how to make customers satisfied.

Here are some examples which enable companies to interact with their customers and know their customers' needs:

Forums

“Any company whose product raises a lot of questions should consider forums.” Quoted from Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.

 Forums are not only for saving money, but also for helping media companies. It is a way to gather customers together, and help companies build their own groundswell.

One of the good example of Forums is Apple communities. People share experience with Apple, explain how to find fit products, illustrate how to make most use of certain products, and express how they love Apple.

Wiki

Wiki can help companies integrate data by their customers. 

Questions and Answers

All the topics would be just about products. For customers, answering questions also fulfill their personal values which would enhance development of customer community. Win-Win would be the only result.

Support your customers like how they support your products, and they will support your company like how you support them. Companies should help their customers build communities, and support their customers to tap their own groundswell.

State Of The Union Address & Social Media

Not only can we see the potentials of groundswell, but also the trend of groundswell that is getting stronger than ever turns out in reality. According to a report by Statistics from eMarketer.com in 2013, American adults have spent more time everyday on using digital media than watching TV as we can see the chart below. 

This means that Americans have enjoyed more engagements rather than the traditional one-way information gathering, such as TV, Radio and Newspapers.

Clearly, The White House has seen this trend as well and realized the need for new media. In last year, there were only 33.5 million viewers on Obama’s State of the Union address, which has reached the lowest audience since 2000.  Fortunately, Obama changed the game this year by using various social media to promote his SOTU address. 

The lists below show his strategies on social media:

Instagram: a mobile device application for people who would like to share photos and videos on various network services by applying digital filters, as well as its original website. On September 9, 2013, the company has announced that there were more than 150 million monthly active users.

The White House staffs used Instagram to share photos and videos of their preparation for the address.

Instagram photo

Click here for Instagram video

Youtube:

Youtube can reach a lot of people while they were watching other video, SOTU used a long time ban advertisement to draw attention.

Twitter: a microblogging enables people to interact online

The staffs also use Hashtag #InsideSOTU to give the sense of the address

Vines:

President Obama used Vines to record short videos for advertising the address

Click here to see President Obama Vine video

Web live: White House enhanced web live speech by playing slides with charts and graphics illustration. 

Click here to see White House web live address 

Google Hangouts: a platform developed by Google for an instant messaging and video chat of two or more users’ conversations.

President Obama held a “virtual roadtrip” to discuss and answer questions on Google+ Hangout about the issues told in the address with the Hashtag #AskObama2014.

Politician is always trying all they can to reach everyone, to tell everyone that they are willing to help, the massive usage of social media of the White house this year, shows that they find out how to listen to groundswell.

Reading Reflection #1

With the rapid development of technology, our lives and surroundings have been changing a lot and would definitely result in a much more transparent society.  As the author mentioned, people's desire to connect, new interactive technologies, and online economics have led us in a new era that has changed the balance of power. People are enjoying a fast and convenient social contact on an unlimited stage -- internet, and this results in a strong power.

This is groundswell -- in book Groundswell says, "a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations."
People could draw strength from each other.

As you can guess, it seems like this social trend would only threat institutions one way; however, companies could also benefit from the groundswell which would potentially enable them to be better engaging with their customers. 

During Olympic 2012, nike has increased 166,718 new Facebook fans versus 80,761 for its strong competitor, Adidas. What happened to Nike? What made Nike success even though Adidas was the official sponsor? Here is the truth. Nike created a campaign called "Find your Greatness" by focusing the normal people that "greatness is for all of us".  In the video below Nike tells her customers what is greatness, and this is what Olympic means to Nike and to normal people.

The majority normal people were deeply touched by a strong connection with the campaign. Nike gain the  audience's trust and build groundswell. In Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff's book, Groundswell, there are Five Objectives that companies can pursue in the groundswell, they are listening, talking, energizing, supporting and embracing. In the Nike Olympic case, they listen to their customers who love life, never stop to try one's best, they talking to customers by redefine "greatness" in order to energize their customers, people accept this definition and support this new meaning, Nike is no longer a brand, it is also a way of life, people endorse Nike and become fans.

In the book, Groundswell, Li and Bernoff also introduced Social Technographics Profile, which provides the right channels for companies to connect with their customers. Also, a four-step planning process -- POST method  teaches companies how to play Jujitsu well in the groundswell and reach the market needs, for people, objectives, strategy, and technology.

Like all the media, social media is a channel, which connects customers with companies, makes companies become real, and builds community between these two. If you still not aware of how strong social media and groundswell are, why not check out this video, and get ready to "social"with customers.