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Honda The Drum Awards For Social Media

Social media isn't about tech, it's about behaviour - Honda's social media manager on the importance of the personal touch

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

August 4, 2015 | 4 min read

When it comes to social media it can be “all too easy to get bogged down in navigating the minefield of technology and networks,” according to Honda’s European social media manager, Claire Dunford.

Quoting Honda founder, Soichiro Honda, Dunford says he was on to something with his belief that personal contact is worth much more than “the invention of machines” because people allow us to “expand our view of things and open up thousands of experiences”.

“It’s not really about whether you choose to use Facebook, augmented reality or influencer channels to reach your target audience – at the heart of digital and social media isn’t technology, it’s behaviour,” said Dunford, a judge at this year’s Social Buzz Awards.

Though social media has exponentially changed the way brands and consumers converse and interact, Dunford tells The Drum there is a lot to be said of the traditional market analogy.

“There’s a lot of noise out there: sellers hawking their wares, trying to catch attention; potential shoppers milling around, casually looking for the things that interest them,” she explained. “Just like that market, social media is a social experience as much as a functional one. Setting up a stall is not enough. Shouting the hardest is not enough. You need to know your customer.”

Dunford’s comments echo those of fellow Social Buzz judge Joe McEwan, head of digital and communities at Innocent, who told The Drum a few weeks ago about how good social strategy is not just a case of launching a Facebook page and “hey presto – you have a more meaningful and profitable relationship with your consumers.”

“Whilst I don’t wholly agree that social media allows you do build relationships with your customers…I also don’t believe that social media should be considered as simply as technology,” added Dunford.

“There are 1.44 billion active Facebook accounts…we want to share, we want to be close to our friends, and we want to surround ourselves with people with similar attitudes. This is what businesses need to understand.”

Dunford cites Airbnb as an example of a business getting it right, claiming its success is “not solely through technology, it’s through recognising that consumer behaviour has changed and then adapting to offer frictionless solutions based by the demand of their potential customer.”

“Social media has revolutionised the business landscape and customers are expecting greater interaction and personal relevance from companies – whether social media customer service or personalised marketing messages,” she remarked.

“If a company wants to strive towards success it needs to recognise the change is being driven not by technology, but by behaviour…only then can we make and adapt strategies and conversations that ultimately align with the needs of the customer.

“Social media can all too easily be considered a bolt-on, and not integrated with other areas…it’s no long ‘growing up’, ‘it’s a sophisticated part of the marketing mix and should be treated as such.”

As a Social Buzz judge Dunford revealed what she’s looking for “can be boiled down to one word: consistency,” with the most important part of any award-winning campaign is message and strategy working together to reach the audience in the most effective way.

“It can’t just be the theory,” she said. “In order to be the winner there needs to be robust results to back it up.”

The Social Buzz Awards are open for entry until Friday 14 August. For more information on the awards, the judges and how to enter visit the Social Buzz Awards website. The Social Buzz Awards will take place on Wednesday 25 November at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, London.

Honda The Drum Awards For Social Media

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