Organization Name: The Weather Network
Industry: Media
Name of Contact: Alexandra Pope, Social Media Co-ordinator, The Weather Network
Web Reference: The Weather Network
The Weather Network is a weather news and information channel founded in 1989 by Pierre L. Morrissette. Their goal is not to be the biggest but the best…the best weather information provider in Canada. They deliver the weather news to 20 million Canadians 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a focus on integrating creativity, science and technology.
Mobile Social Media Marketing
According to Wikipedia, the definition of social media marketing is:
The process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it across their social networks. The resulting electronic word of mouth (eWoM) refers to any statement consumers share via the Internet (e.g., web sites, social networks, instant messages, news feeds) about an event, product, service, brand or company.When the underlying message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself, this form of marketing results in earned media rather than paid media.
As the future of social media and marketing continues to evolve it seems mobile platforms are becoming increasingly more important. The demand for constant and instantaneous information is increasing rapidly.
Research and consulting firm, Altimeter Group has discovered that one-third of consumers are using mobile exclusively. Many consumers prefer the mobile platform because of it convenience and efficiency.Principal analyst for the Altimeter Group, Brian Solis makes this comment about mobile social media.
It isn’t about what you think the experience should be, or where you can get resources or budget or tech, it’s what it should be. People are going to do what they want, when they want.
How The Weather Network Uses Social Media Marketing
I asked Alexandra Pope, Social Media Co-ordinator with The Weather Network how they use mobile social media to market to their viewers. This was her response.
We operate on a number of social media platforms. We maintain a brand presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ , Instagram, Vine and Pinterest and we will be launching Snapchat very soon as well so a lot of those are mobile only but those are all of the platforms that we maintain a brand presence on. Social media is tremendously important to our overall marketing strategy because it enables us to build audience, increase our reach into new demographics and also build loyalty among our fans and followers.
comScore.com reports that globally, Canadians are the highest social media and internet users. A combination of high internet usage, increased use of smartphones and tablets, improved data plans and of course…our love of weather, it’s no wonder that The Weather Networks’ social media strategy is so comprehensive.
In 2014 Ipsos Reid ranked The Weather Network 14th on its list of most important influential brands. The results were based on information compiled from an online survey of 5000 Canadian residents. The survey featured 5 key items including brand influence and engagement.
The following interview features Alexandra Pope, Social Media Co-ordinator, The Weather Network. She discusses The Weather Network, the importance of social media and its use to engage followers.
Lessons for Others:
The Weather Networks’ use of social media continues to evolve and grow. In this ever-changing world consumers are constantly demanding more instantaneous methods of social media engagement and delivery. Mobile social media is thriving. It is critical that companies recognise this and keep pace with these advancements if they wish to have future success.
To contact the author of this entry please email: griff05@sympatico.ca
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