To build a brand, one must tell a story. To tell a story, one must build a community. An excellent place for any business to start their social media campaign is the omnipresent force, Facebook.
User generated content can be a true blessing, especially if it’s through a Facebook fan page. It is a remarkably easy tool for any business to gain a following and engage with customers. It’s all about establishing a platform and allowing clientele to have their voices heard. Customers want to share their unique opinions and stories. They yearn to find other like-minded individuals who share in their passions. They want to be included, and to feel like they belong to a supportive team. Essentially, a fan page can help establish and foster a loyal community.
Yet, user generated content can also be a curse. It’s possible that the credibility of users may be questioned. Due to biases, some customers may not necessarily be experts so the content they submit may be dubious. Another possible pitfall is an outburst of complaints. Offering customers such a platform enables them to express their opinions freely. Though, when the company is responsive and responsible for these issues, they are bound to build goodwill.
Want to become a social media mogul? Take some tips from Coca-Cola. Over 5,000,000 Coca-Cola fans on Facebook cannot be wrong. What strikes me the most about this case is that two fans started the fan page for mere amusement. Instead of taking control, the company empowered these fans to maintain the page. The fan page has almost 100 fan videos, 5,000 fan photos, and an active discussion board. These fans feel important and they know that Coca-Cola really cares. Coca-Cola fans are inspired to share their stories with a flourishing community of brand enthusiasts.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Great example of hardcore UGC — coke took a chance trusting their customers, and look how they’ve been rewarded! How do they (or could they) take advantage of this fan page now that it’s there? Or are they trying to stay hands-off? It seems the users are doing fine without help from corporate.
On a separate note, I like your use of bold for emphasis. It makes me feel like I’m reading a magazine and drives your point home, while also making your post much more skimmable for the distracted web browser. I hope you don’t mind if I bite your style in the future
It seems like Coca-Cola is very content with staying hands-off. I think it’s great that the brand is so committed to their customers. Their trust in their consumers must contribute to the fact that the Coca-Cola page is the second most popular page on FB!
Feel free to bold as much as you like! Thanks for your comment, Allan!