Organization: Addictive Mobility
Industry: Mobile Advertising
Contact Name: Cyrus Bakhtiyari, Infrastructure Engineer
Web References: Addictive Mobility
Description of how social media is used for business performance
The value of social media is evident in it’s ability to reach audiences and engage them. Businesses are able to make meaningful connections with their customers from around the world. It’s a way for organizations to create another dimension for their message to customers in a very tangible way. It’s also a way for companies to build lasting relationships with their customers.
For example, TLC, which is an American cable network, creates another dimension for viewers by adding watermarked hashtags to shows being aired that can be used when posting on social media about the show. You can use those hashtags to interact with other people watching the show live or TLC’s social media team. Thus creating another dimension to the experience of watching a television show.
The continued growth of tools to reach audiences and market to individuals on the internet is inevitable. The world of social media marketing will continue to grow and change. Let’s take a look at some changes:
The Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things is about an environment that gathers our information from various devices (phone, computer, vehicle) and applications (apps like Twitter or eBay) that are uniquely identifiable because of their embedding. The interconnection of embedded devices is expected to lead to automation in all fields.
Big Data
The process of collecting large sets of data which requires more than the traditional data processing applications because of it’s complexity, is referred to as “big data”. Getting to know your customers leads to being able to relate to them which leads to loyal customers. The future of social media involves making data about customers, more readily available to businesses. This will allow businesses to use the data to target to a customers specific needs. For example, the customer may be in a particular store, standing by a specific rack and get a text for a 30% off the shirt they’re thinking of buying.
Mobile
We’re living in a world where mobile devices are part of our everyday routine. They’re by our side when we wake up, all day long while at work and the routine starts again the next day. It’s not going to stop there. Mobile can mean anywhere, anytime with a device like Google Glass. It does everything your phone does and more! With constant connectivity, for social media, this means a change in what’s being posted. We may be shifting from text posts to a variety of mediums which could include pictures, videos, reviews and making all these things sharable.
I found an interesting video about the future of the internet by BBC. Click on the picture below to watch:
For an opinion on all this, I spoke with Caroline Amo from Tangerine. Here’s my brief interview with her:
She talks about social media and the part it plays in the business world. She mentions how it’s being used in the business world, advances in technology to keep us all connected like Google glasses and filtering social media information.
What about small businesses? The role social media will play in small businesses is creating a place where they can create meaningful conversations with their target audience. Is it going to increase profits dramatically and immediately? Probably not. But when used correctly and when it’s being taken seriously, social media can make a difference in helping to build the brand of a small business. To help with getting started, its good to have a strategy and take things slowly. They can connect with social influencers such as well known bloggers who review products. This heightens their visibility and will continue to broaden their reach.
Let’s talk about Addictive Mobility! It’s a Toronto based mobile brand advertising firm. Since their establishment in 2010, they’ve branched out to Vancouver, Dubai and London. They’re all about delivering on brand engagement, lift and awareness for their Clients. The future of how social media is used surely lies in the business of companies like Addictive Mobility.
In a new survey conducted by Decision Fuel and On Device Research, they say:
“6 in 10 mobile internet users from 14 key markets around the world say they typically go online to surf the web mostly (37%) or exclusively (23%) from their mobile phone”.
People who use their mobile devices are able to surf the web because of the convenience and accessibility of their devices. Addictive Mobility is able to provide it’s Clients with a world class technology infrastructure and analytics that leads to better targeting. They have a Data Science Team that filters the data generated by interactions via a mobile device. They provide optimization of this information and insights via their comprehensive custom reports that are based on their Client’s Key Performance Indicator’s (KPIs) during and after a campaign.
They take targeting customers seriously and speak about their method which involves proprietary algorithms, demographic targeting, geo-targeting and audience profiling. Data is sifted through to provide their Clients with information that allow them to make decisions faster and lead to execution on those decisions. With regards to geo-targeting, they’re able to distinguish patterns about a businesses customers which lead to behavioural inferences. This can lead to directing individuals to a specific location such as a restaurant or store near by. Here’s an example of their geo-analysis (geo-heat map of interactions):
These are all things that couldn’t have been done in the past but will be useful from a marketing standpoint going forward. Social media plays a huge part in this system of information being exchanged and the usage of any mobile device. Collecting this data leads to the ability to identify your customers for who they are, what their habits are and what they want.
I had a chat about what it is that Addictive Mobility does and he said:
“Utilizing the power of data science and big data, Addictive is paving the way for brand awareness and engagement, connecting the right users at the right time to the right places” – Cyrus Bakhtiyari, Infrastructure Engineer
Lessons Learned:
While there is an uncertainty about the future of social media in the business world, it’s obvious that it provides businesses with more information than they were ever capable of gathering in the past. Not only are social media tools like Facebook. Youtube and Twitter providing this information but the devices used to access these applications can extrapolate large amounts of information that lead to better targeted marketing. In terms of business performance, businesses will be able to get the right products, to the right customers at the right time. That’s something that will be taken advantage of going forward in the business world which will benefit both the customer and businesses.
References: iMedia, LinkedIn, AddictiveMobility, Business2Community, Entrepreneur, Business Insider
Submitted by: Amanda Ganie, University of Waterloo
To contact the author of this entry please email at: Amanda.ganie@gmail.com
If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Programme Director, Social Media for Business Performance.