Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Both articles relate in the way that they are getting in touch with the every day consumer whose opinion matters most. Companies are getting in touch with them through the simple and easy way of social networking sites such as Blogger and Facebook. "Brand ambassador programs leverage the power of peer-to-peer communication. Consumers hear about products and brand experiences from others just like themselves—people they trust—rather than from commercial marketing sources"(Marketing An Introduction 10th Edition p143). Marketing has evolved so much that companies themselves are searching for those who are loyal and brand ambassadors already to make their experience even greater by giving them products to review which becomes helpful for other people interested in the item. "Marketers select their brand ambassadors very carefully, based on customers’ devotion to a brand and the size of their social circles. They sometimes search blogs and online social networks to identify individuals who are already functioning as brand advocates. Once selected, the ambassadors are trained with real brand knowledge to go along with their passion for the brand. The ambassadors then tap into friends, family, groups, and broader audiences through personal conversations, blogs, live events, and online social media"(Marketing An Introduction 10th Edition p143) As for Facebook, companies are starting to post job opportunities on their Facebook pages instead of sending out the ads to job hiring companies. Why? Because it doesn't cost a thing and is still quite as effective. "Facebook's use as a job-recruitment tool remains small, but its appeal may be growing. Some recruiters say they have all but eliminated their spending on job boards, which can charge a few hundred dollars per job posting, depending on volume"(Wall Street Journal Joe Light). Companies would no longer have to pay the normal fees they pay on job hiring websites and will be able to get a quicker response knowing people are always on Facebook opposed to those job hiring websites. For example without having a Facebook myself I heard of a job opportunity to one of my favorite stores through a friend. I asked her how she even heard about the opening and she simply said Facebook. It became that easy to know whether your favorite retailer was hiring or not.