How eBusiness Firms Use Social Tools To Connect With Customers

As consumers increasingly use social media to connect with each other and with brands, eBusiness executives seek to understand how — and if — these tools can drive online sales and service. To see how far along eBusiness professionals are in their social strategies, we examined consumer data on social media usage and then surveyed eBusiness leaders on the tools that they're offering. We found that when it comes to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, consumers and eBusiness teams are on fairly even ground. eBusiness executives use social media tools today to drive brand and product awareness, and they report that ratings and reviews are the most effective tactic for driving sales. To see better online sales and service results from other social initiatives, eBusiness professionals must set a clear strategy that considers their customers' usage of social media first, optimizes social media to lower customer service costs, and has measurable ROI.