Page 41 - Optus Future of Business Report 2013

40
optus Future of Business
Social media:
Looking to find its niche
“We need to attract a
younger customer to
survive and thrive, and
that means totally
revising the way we do
things and re-prioritising
new channels – we’re
competing against a
whole range of other
entertainment options
in our area now.”
– Head of Marketing and IT, Leisure and
Accommodation provider
RESEARCHING
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
RECEIVING CUSTOMER
CARE OR SUPPORT
NONE OF
THESE
PURCHASING AND PAYING
FOR PRODUCTS/SERVICES
HAVING PRODUCTS/
SERVICES PROVIDED
MARKETING PRODUCTS
OR SERVICES
DELIVERING A
PRODUCT OR SERVICE
SELLING PRODUCTS
OR SERVICES
PROVIDING CUSTOMER
CARE AND SUPPORT
CONSUMERS’ PREFERRED PURPOSE
FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN 3–5 YEARS
BUSINESSES’ EXPECTED PURPOSE
FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN 3–5 YEARS
29%
13%
16%
29%
28%
85%
39%
43%
59%
Social media to
evolve as customer
support channel
Businesses are eager to embrace the
marketing potential of social media,
citing it as one of the most important
channels to fulfil this purpose over
the next three to five years.
Although most organisations rely on
social media for marketing today, nearly
half use it to sell products and services,
while a quarter offer it for customer
care and support. In three to five years,
nearly 60% of businesses expect to use
social media as a customer support
channel while 85% expect to use it to
market products and services.
Although nearly half of consumers
today use social media for research
and 30% for customer care and
support, their future preferences for
the channel appear largely unchanged
over three to five years.
As the research suggests a
misalignment between consumers’
future preferences and organisations’
plans, organisations may need to
reassess how to effectively integrate
social media into their customer
engagement strategy. Organisations
need to clearly define the benefits
customers will receive from each social
media channel they offer and relate
that to what the customer expects
to gain from the interaction at that
point in time.