New Media and Social Media

As we all known social media has recently become a major way for corporations to connect with potential clients and customers in a new way. Social media has many forms including Twitter, Blogging, Facebook and LinkedIn which all can be used to effectively launch a social media campaign. These platforms can be used for companies to relate to clients and customers in a new way as there is a closer more personal connection. An article on Inc. gives companies advice on how to use social media most effectivily. Some important things to remember when using a social media site is that things can be more personable and do not always need to be as formal as users typically want quick and easy solutions to their problems. Companies should not only promote themselves at all times but be a source of information for their audience which will gain trust and hopefully return visits. Most importantly companies should have a specific team that manages their social media efforts so customers can put a face to the person behind the companies Tweets or stats updates on Facebook. By having one person manage a companies Twitter page they are able to effectively assist customers or clients with the problems.

Now with a better understanding of social media and new media we can examine American Express's social media efforts. At first glance American Express has a pretty impressive social media plan. They have a Facebook Fan page which has just under 16,500 fans and has a lot of activity. After reviewing the fan page it appears as though AmEx uses their Facebook page as a way to communicate with customers and keep them informed of events, activities and other company initiative. The update their status with current promotions and exclusive only available to card members which gets people excited as they constantly have people commenting on their status updates. AmEx also uses Facebook as a way to actually show people the events they sponsor or produce by posting photos on their page. This is a great way to show people who were unable to attend previous events what they missed and hopefully will encourage people to attend future events and promotions. Going beyond photos they also have posted some videos of events and interesting commercials. Overall I think American Express has a great Facebook page as it allows for interaction between customers and the company. It is a way for customers to stay informed on new events, promotions and other activities within the company.

Twitter is a fairly new phenomenon which companies can use for quick and cheep interactions with customers and clients. Corporations can use Twitter to almost instantly keep tabs on issues that customers are having with their services and products. Experts feel Twitter can be used to quickly solve problems before they become major issues quickly and at a low cost. American Express has two main Twitter accounts that it uses to connect with other Twitter users. Their AskAmex account is monitored by five employees during normal business hours so customers can ask questions and get answers quickly. I think this is a great way to use Twitter because customers feel they are talking to a few individuals within a large corporation so they feel a connection while they receive answers to their questions in a timely manor. Some of the questions asked are by clients wondering about new promotions and rewards that are available. Again I feel AmEx is making the best of social media because they are using a new platform to reach their customers quickly and easily.

American Express has a second Twitter account (American Express) which is monitored by one company employee which is more of a genral account. Here followers can learn about new events and promotions that the company is offering. Many followers Tweet about a good experience they had with the company or something they used their cards to buy. However if someone does happen to ask a question on this account they will be refereed to the AskAmex account. American Express is doing a great job of using two Twitter accounts for different purposes; one for questions and one to promote their products.

One thing I did notice is when people do man complaints on the companies Facebook or Twitter page the company does not delete them but tries to solve them. I recently read an article about how companies can use negativity to regain customer trust and I think this is a great message. Companies should embrace negativity so they can improve their brand and products. This is a way to solve problems quickly and easily without having things get blown out of proportion. Some companies appear to have flawless Facebook or Twitter accounts with no negativity which makes me question their authenticity.

Overall I think American Express is doing a great job using social media to connect with clients and customers. My only advice would be to use their main Twitter account as something more than just a place to promote their products. They could Tweet about current events and other hot topics as a way to have people follower their Tweets more often. Social media is a major player in the public relations game and one that companies should be using to the best of there abilities.