1.2 Why Social Media – 4 Reasons Final

4 Reasons why Social Media are a must today

User figures and Distribution

lcc

lcc

lcc

3.4 billion people use the Internet. 2.3 billion of them are active social media users.

Estimates suggest that this figure increases to 2.95 billions by 2020.


Customer loyalty and Support

lcc

lcc

Your presence in social networks, authentic and personal communication and being in dialogue with customers creates a positive image. Users build an emotional connection and can become loyal customers. Social media also allow you to offer fast and trouble-free customer service and answer customers’ questions promptly. The psychological barrier to ask questions on Facebook is often lower than to pick up the phone or write an e-mail.

 

Reach

lcc

lcc

lcc

Social networks have large numbers of users – being present in relevant channels increases your reach within your target group and (potential) customer group.

Social networks allow you to also find new customer groups.


Learning by listening

lcc

lcc

lcc

Users are online – and are also talking about you! Learn from ratings, react to criticism and use statements and information to get better.

2.2 WHAT CHANNELS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES? S.1

About half of the 7.4 billion people on earth actively use the Internet. 37% of the world population are active social media users.






Worldwide, there are numerous social media platforms. The following illustration is an overview of which platforms worldwide have the largest numbers of active users.



Which are the most relevant channels for travel agencies?

LCC Headquarters recommend focusing on Facebook and LinkedIn.

1.2 WHY ARE SOCIAL MEDIA A MUST TODAY? S.3

The average user spends 1.58 hours/day in social networks and messengers, and counting.



The highest market penetration of social networks can be found in South Korea, where 76% of the Internet users are also active social network users. The global average is 31%.



1.2 WHY ARE SOCIAL MEDIA A MUST TODAY? S.2

Internet users have 5.4 social media accounts on average and use 2.8 actively. The highest number of actively used accounts is among 25 to 34-year-olds.



Judging from the number of monthly active users, Facebook is the leading social network, followed by WhatsApp.



1.2 WHY ARE SOCIAL MEDIA A MUST TODAY? S.1

Consumer communities are platforms used by customers to share their experiences or to offer their own products/services. This includes review platforms (e.g. Yelp, TripAdvisor), social shopping & social commerce platforms (e.g. Groupon) and social marketplaces or social sharing platforms (e.g. eBay, Airbnb).


Content sharing and entertainment platforms are used to share media contents and applications for entertainment purposes. This includes video sharing and live streaming services (e.g. YouTube, Periscope), photo sharing platforms (e.g. Instagram, Pinterest), podcasts and music sharing services (e.g. Narando, Spotify), social gaming (e.g. Ingress, Runtastic), social news (e.g. Digg, nowadays rather Facebook), location-based services (e.g. Foursquare, Yelp) and other platforms to share contents (e.g. Dropbox, Slideshare).


The fourth category, social networks, can be subdivided into global social networks (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn), regional networks (e.g. Xing), networks focusing on communication (e.g. Skype, WhatsApp) and special interest portals (e.g. dating portals).



Important: It is not necessary to be present on all channels! It is more important to select the right platforms in line with your strategy and target group and to use them optimally. Questions you should always ask yourself before you start are: “What is my goal?” “What and who do I want to reach?” Then you can choose measures and instruments or channels that fit your strategy.

1.2 WHY ARE SOCIAL MEDIA A MUST TODAY?



Social media have significantly changed our actions and behaviour with regard to information and communication. Today, users can not only consume contents and information online but can also create their own contents and publish it in social media. Consumers became “prosumers” (combination of “produce” and “consume”).



But why is social media presence a must for companies as well? Why should you be present in social media?




1.1 WHAT ARE SOCIAL MEDIA? WHAT CHANNELS ARE AVAILABLE? S.1

1.1 WHAT ARE SOCIAL MEDIA? WHAT CHANNELS ARE AVAILABLE?



The German association for digital economy (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft e.V. – BVDW) defines social media as a variety of digital media and technologies that allow users to interact and to create media contents individually or as a group. In Web 2.0, the user is no longer just an information recipient but also becomes a sender.

The social web is characterised by three things:

  • Participation
  • Networking
  • Communication


The following Social Media Prism gives you an overview of the social media landscape:



The different social media channels and platforms can be categorised in a simplified way in four categories:


  • Knowledge Communities

  • Consumer Communities

  • Content Sharing & Entertainment

  • Social Networks




Knowledge communities are platforms that share or jointly create knowledge. This includes blogs, microblogs (e.g. Twitter), wikis (e.g. Wikipedia), forums and social bookmarking functions (e.g. Facebook “Like” button).