Forbes Magazine said it well: “Whether you call it Web 2.0, the social Web or any other neologism, the new network economy is about communities, collaboration, peer production and user-generated content. It is a place where business reputations are defined by customer opinions and ratings, where press is delivered by independent bloggers, and product development and insight is driven by customers.”
During part one of the series on social media integration into corporate campaigns, we discussed blogging and Twitter. Today we are going to touch specifically on YouTube and Facebook. We will also add to each section the graphic that was produced by Flowtown that shows how Fortune 100 companies are currently engaging.
YouTube
Purpose: “Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.”
Use: Corporations are utilizing YouTube in a variety of ways. The service offers a low-cost way to share videos with employees, clients and customers in an accessible, manageable way. From commercials to employee training videos, the use of YouTube for each corporation will be dependent on specific needs. Some companies will create a YouTube Channel for relevant subscribers to access all corporate videos.
How Fortune 100 companies are using YouTube:
Purpose: “Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.”
Use: Facebook Business Pages and Fan Pages serve as a location for people to gather around a particular business. The company can post messages, blogs, links, photos and video, all the while interacting with fans. Penn-Olson.com posted an article on the 10 Most Successful Facebook Pages of All Time. They list some of the best Facebook pages and give a brief synopsis on why. The top ten they mention are:
- Ben and Jerry’s
- Pizza Hut
- Victoria’s Secret
- FML
- iTunes
- Starbucks
- Pringles
- Red Bull
- Coca-Cola
For the complete listing follow the link to 10 Successful Facebook Business Pages.
How Fortune 100 companies are using Facebook:
Conclusion:
Forbes Magazine makes an interesting point when discussing the integration of social media into corporate communication, saying,
“If you are an executive, keep in mind two points as you gear up your social media strategy: First, social technologies including blogs, social networks and Twitter are communication tools. That means a company’s social media approach must integrate with its existing communications channels and goals.“
Whether or not Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and/or Blogging offers the best solution for the communication channels of your business is something that only you can determine. However, “the new network economy is about communities, collaboration, peer production and user-generated content,” so integrating social media in a way that suits your business is important.
