Is Your Timing Right with Social Networking?

The growth and subsequent importance of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as a communications platform is undeniable. Regular articles are found on how businesses have grown their customer base using social media see the story of Milan Direct. But what makes these businesses successful using social networking? Social media provide us with more than a place to communicate. It provides us with an opportunity to closely listen, learn, observe and analyse. Pay attention to conversations and time contributions and interventions by offering a solution, just at the right time!

B2B Collaboration creating Customer Loyalty - A Unique Approach to Service Organisations

Medibank Private recently announce an agreement with the Coles Flybuys program where customers will qualify for one FlyBuy point for every $2 spent on monthly health premiums and triple points on dollars spend on fruit and vegetables in Coles stores. This adds up to a saving of $250 a year for a family of 4.

Who is funding this sizeable saving? Are customers paying more for groceries or more on health premiums? Customers do not have to necessarily pay more on either if the supply chain is improved.

If the supply chain can be managed, upwards or downwards, higher margin in-store brand products can be sold at a higher value per kilogram. This is where Coles' interest in packing freshly made salads starts to make a lot of sense. If vegetables can be washed, pre-cut and packed into ready to eat portions, customers will pay more per kilogram for fresh food.

Medibank Private is managing its supply chain through its 'members choice' providers, which leaves members with $0 out of pocket in many cases.

Both organisations have a few million customers, Flybuys were quoted to have 6 million members, Medibank Private, 4 million members. With the obvious overlapping of members, and scope to grow and add value for customers, these organisations are creating new customer colonies whose buying preferences are influenced on both a conscious and eventually on a subconscious level. Perceived benefits are high in times when customers' attention span for finer details such as actual points accrued through loyalty schemes or reduction in health benefits are limited.

The impact on consumer behaviour through innovative collaboration systems such as this will be fascinating.

Is Social Media Meeting Your Needs?

Few of us will notice just how much social media and the internet have become central to our lives. It meets a lot of our needs as humans on multiple levels. Not only basic needs, but needs found almost at all levels!

Thanks to Maslow we know that the most basic needs of humans are firstly basic living needs, followed by feelings around safety (second level), being loved by family and friends (third level), feelings of accomplishment (fourth level) and feelings of self-realization (top level). 

John Antonios published how Maslow's Hierarchy of needs are met through social media. How does social media meet our needs on almost all levels?

Antonios makes the case that social media not only helps us to create feelings of security and safety (for example through LinkedIn), but also allows us to share friendships and build relationships. Facebook and Google+ are examples.                                                                                         Source: John Antonio's Social Media Hierarchy of Needs