When talking about social media, a lot of people focus on the technology when they should be focusing on the people.
So said Jamaaludeen Khan, founder and CEO of Procliviti, during his address at ITWeb's Social Media Summit this morning. "Yes, technology is useful, but people should be at the forefront of all things social. The technology is an enabler, but social media really is about people," he said.
According to Khan, the social media hits of today may be gone tomorrow, further stressing that the platform or technology is interchangeable, making the people especially important.
"Social media is about engaging with people and about understanding what they are all about," said Khan, adding that social connections allow us to engage with others, and this helps people to learn faster. When it comes to social media, he mentioned that a lot of businesses make the mistake of using their social media presence as a form of advertising. "This is a mistake. These forums should be used to engage with and listen to customers."
Businesses that are concerned about an influx of negative feedback via social networks should use these platforms to solve customers' problems in a quick and effective manner. A recent study found that customers who were unhappy with customer service, but got a favourable response from the company, ended up being happier than they were before they complained, noted Khan.
Mentioning Amazon's recent purchase of the Washington Post, Khan noted that the popular newspaper was bought for $250 million, just a fraction of the $1.1 billion Yahoo paid for Tumblr earlier this year. According to Khan, this demonstrates a shift in business value and the economics of different business models. These digital tools are becoming big players because they add value to the masses, said Khan.
Humans want validation, and that is what effective use of social media allows companies to do, Khan concluded, adding that the rise of digital businesses makes connecting with customers easier and more important.
"Social media and social businesses are about engagement, about people and offering value."
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