Although this blog is about eMarketing, I’ve been wanting to write about this particular topic for a while, so here it is. FOMO – the fear of Missing Out – the concept that will completely bring ideas against social media, but mostly against the way we are using it. Being part of a course like comm464, there is not need to say I am so interested in the use of  social media and new technologies in Marketing, but sometimes… do we go too far? Acting on the moment as a company can have great benefits to your brand, for this there is no doubt but as customers can it bring harm to our actual social life?
I have personally tried to go a few days without them: no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram. It was harder than I thought. Are we therefore afraid of being missing out? Yes!

What I am really worried about is how it will continue to increase as social media does, and what kind of effects it can have on a person. It is true, when we log-in into Facebook, and Instagram we see all the great things people have done, it could potentially make us feel like we are not doing as much or we missed out on this friend’s get-together for example. As a company or as a person, nowadays if you are too late, you might have missed out already.

The key I believe is to know where the limit is!

Follow

Nokia’s latest tweet has become one of the most retweeted brand tweets ever – more than 38,000 retweets! While the whole world talks about the brand new iPhones, Nokia steals a bit of the spotlight to express the similarity between their own devices and Apple’s. This is a clear example of ‘moment marketing’ showing companies moving fast and acting on real-time can be extremely important. Most people saw this as humor, linked to current event and it thus became very popular.

Adapting to the moment and real-time is crucial in digital marketing. “When things happen in the real world they happen on Twitter” – Bruce Daisley

Responding as fast, Nokia was able to react to the current events and engage with everyone online. Similarly brands can act on the very “moment” easily through twitter. They are able to build a two-way conversation with their customers which before was mostly one-way (TV, Radio, Billboards). As we have seen through a immense amount of examples, when a company responds to not only its clients comments online but also to the general events happening in the world, they gain certain trust. Suddenly, they have a voice. They become a personality instead of a money-making business.
I personally think this is the best aspect social media brings to companies: they become more alive. As more consumers share and create content online they expect the companies they value the most to do the same. Consumer behaviour has evolved, and through social media brands can now adapt to it and make the most out of trends, news, opinion and comments.

Follow