An article published at ABCNews.com suggests that while manufacturers of consumer products are using social media rather effectively to market their products, they are failing to utilize it for other purposes, including informing consumers about recalls and safety alerts. This is a bad sign. It suggests that major companies are appropriately eager to take short-term advantage of the power of social media, yet have not realized the importance of integrating that social media fully into their marketing and public relations strategies.
The ABC article highlights the work of consumer safety organization Kids in Danger, and between the activism and the media coverage, perhaps more companies – both large and small – will begin to recognize the problem. But how to solve it?
For large companies, the answer might consist in expanding their in-house online and social marketing staff and introducing new management procedures to make sure that they’re in touch with public relations developments.
But for small companies, oddly enough, the problem might actually be related to too much in-house responsibility. A new Los Angeles startup may not have the resources or expertise to manage its social media while also handling overall development and business strategy. Such a company may be better off partnering with the best Los Angeles social media company it can find and utilizing its expertise at using social media to the fullest, not only for short-term marketing but also for developing customer loyalty, managing public relations, and solving problems through social media before they develop in the broader marketing world.
