By Hien Bui and Britney Tran, Staff Writers
What might a regular teenager and their favorite Orange County boba chain have in common?
Besides a love for the drink in question, the two are both a part of multiple social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Yelp are all places you can find a 7 Leaves Café page. Browse through WordPress, and you might find an artisanal boba chain looking to stand out from its competition with a blog. It seems like no social platform is left unconquered. Within any site that could be used as a means to advertise and connect with customer, a business will have a page there.
We, the consumers, are the reason why businesses have become so prevalent in the social media landscape and, in turn, why social media has become so prevalent in businesses.
There’s no doubt social networking has entrenched itself in multiple aspects of our lives. There’s something out there for every interest and style. If one platform is lacking, a new one with a never-ending supply of content is a mere click away. This kind of internet culture has engineered a new way to do business: one that is either centered solely or relies very heavily on social media. Recognizing the social blade’s emerging significance could potentially make or break a business.
Being on these platforms has some definite advantages. An active social media presence makes it easier than ever to connect and interact with customers on some level of personal basis. It’s also one of the easiest ways that important information can be shared with customers. The speed and efficiency of online communication negates any need there once had been to be there physically, whether as customer service or even as a business. Lack of physical locations is no longer a limitation; cyberspace becomes part of the customer’s experience, as demonstrated with retail powerhouse Amazon in the mix.
However, social media’s influence isn’t entirely absent from physical businesses either. Orange County has received some notoriety for its food culture. Everything from the food to the stores is made with that “Instagrammable” quality in mind. Appetizing foods and huge decorated walls invite customers to snap a picture and post. The over-saturation of businesses using this quality to market their product has lead to competition in standing out within a digital world that has seen this formula hundreds of time now.
With social media, it’s easier than ever to effectively advertise. Each picture uploaded with a business’ location tag or tagged in the photo works as free marketing. Posting it means a personal recommendation. Having customers is important but having an “aesthetic” element that drives people to essentially advertise for you is important too.
This might be more applicable to smaller businesses than massive, already-established companies, but it’s undeniable that social media has become a powerful marketing tool for any business trying to get its name out there. The total connectivity and instant consumer feedback is alluring, and, as social media grows in users, we can only expect to see this trend continue.
