Social media is very powerful for many reasons, mainly because it brings people together. As we’ve seen, it can be used as a tool for general communication, marketing/PR, customer service, e-commerce and just overall viral sharing.
Regardless of its many uses on a business or personal level, social media makes things possible in ways that they weren’t before.
What are some examples? Well, social media can…
Turn boring products into interesting ones
The “Old Spice guy” is a great example of how a fairly mundane product can be turned into something interesting. Isaiah Mustafa, the actor who starred in the Old Spice commercials, became a viral video sensation when he began communicating with consumers via Twitter and YouTube videos. As Mashable points out, he provoked positive results across many social media channels.
In case you missed it, here’s an example of his YouTube video response:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFDqvKtPgZo&fs=1&hl=en_US]
This is entertaining and engaging, yet it still promotes the product without being overbearing and shoving it down our throats. Now we associate Old Spice with something interesting and innovative instead of an outdated, boring deodorant.
Make women enjoy shopping for jeans
Levi’s Digital Fitting Experience is a great example of how social, interactive media can have a positive impact on a shopping experience. It’s no secret that women hate shopping for jeans—it’s hard for us to find the right fit that makes our butts look good! It’s a good thing Levi’s thought to turn jean shopping into an interactive experience.
Image Credit Levi's
Women can engage with the Levi’s brand by taking the Curve ID quiz, measure themselves at home, and get a custom jean fitting based on that. They can even share the content across multiple digital channels.
Levi’s took this a step further by integrating Facebook and online jeans shopping with the Friends Store. This is a great way to get opinions from friends and other like-minded people so that you have an idea of if a pair of jeans is right for you. The best part? You never have to leave your computer chair to do it.
Help raise over $32 million for a country in need
The Red Cross text relief campaign to raise money for Haiti was one of the most successful SMS text campaigns, raising over $4 million in the first 36 hours of implementation. Wireless phone users just had to text HAITI to 90999 and their donation would appear on their next cell phone bill.
One of the main reasons awareness for this campaign was raised is due to social media. The text relief campaign initiative spread to sites like Twitter and Facebook, and by the next month the campaign had raised more than $32 million. Hence we witness the power of social media.
Image credit Mashable
Fight Crime
Who would’ve thought social media could assist crime fighting efforts? Well, the Seattle Police Department is using Twitter feeds to spread information about car thefts in order to minimize the amount of robberies. They tweet stolen car information in an attempt to help victims of auto theft get their cars back sooner.
You can follow @getyourcarback to see real-time updates with carjacking information from the Seattle Police Department.
Provide real-time warnings of natural disasters
Social media is powerful enough to mess with Mother Nature. Or, at least provide us with fair warning about what Mother Nature is about to throw our way. As the Social Times wrote about in an article a few months back, regular social media tools can warn us about natural disasters such as tsunamis, tornadoes and/or avalanches.
Not only can social media warn us about these disasters, but it can also help us spread the word. Even if you don’t live in an area where many natural disasters strike, you can still see an alert and spread the word all via social media channels.
So there you have it. Some concrete examples of the way social media impacts our lives in a way no media type has been able to previously. Its magnitude is unprecedented due to the real-time and sharing capabilities.
