Most brands are pushing engagement with social tools

It seems that brands are quickly catching on to the social networking trends. According to the recent "Community and Social Media Study" from the e-tailing group more than half of brands are using social media tools such as fan pages, customer reviews, blogs and viral videos. Nearly 75% of brands report they are accelerating their use of social media.

by Kristina Knight

The social media tools most brands are utilizing are Facebook fan pages, Twitter, customer reviews and blogs. However Q&A sections, community forums, suggestion boxes and viral videos are also being utilized by many brands and marketers. Marketers report using social tools to boost engagement (39%), to drive word of mouth (30%) and to increase brand loyalty (21%).

Still, there are worries in the social space, primarily that social pages could get out of hand and the brand could be sabotaged by unhappy consumers or competitors.

The key is to monitor closely what is said both on behalf of brands - through marketing campaigns and by consumers - as well as what is said against the brand. By letting consumers know that the brand not only has a social consciousness but that the brand is active in the social community - by responding to questions, claims or information - the more likely the brand is to attract and engage consumers. Those happy consumers then become defenders of the brand as well as word-of-mouth spokespeople.

For those not in the social space, the time to jump is now. A recent Altimeter Group study found that brands active on social networks increased revenues by nearly 20% in 2008.

Tags: Altimeter Group, ecommerce, etailing, social marketing, social networks, the e-tailing group