The previous social media post looked at the questions that often surround the relevance of social media and the impact it can have (both positive and negative) on a brand’s reputation. As it is hoped that the entry answered any lingering doubts it seemed natural to consider the equally pertinent, yet often secondary concern, namely:
How can social media be used to actively benefit a brand (or, more specifically, be monetised)?
It should be accepted that whilst there are obvious benefits behind extending a brand’s footprint across a number of platforms, there must also be an accompanying strategy to ensure on-going community engagement. Without a clear plan a brand could ask too much of its community, either by relying on them to add content, outline the brand narrative or remain loyal in the absence of a compelling reason to do so information. As such, a brand should take the time to consider who their audience are and where they are operating; once this has been identified they can consider how to develop a mutually beneficial relationship.
One recent example is that of Getty Images and Flickr.
Getty Images is a global supplier of images for both businesses and consumers. With a library of 70 million images, their success relies on having the requisite stock imagery for their clients, first-time.
Flickr is an image hosting website which allows its community of amateur and professional photographers to upload pictures and subsequently share them with their friends.
Getty Images saw an opportunity to utilise the vast number of photos uploaded onto the site and created “The Request to License”. This is an initiative whereby any community member can put forward their photography to be used by a commercial venture that is looking for stock photography. Getty realised that reward would be crucial to both the longevity of the scheme and the quality of the photos added and therefore took the business decision to remunerate photographers, with what is thought to be between £100-£160 for each image.
In a recent interview with the BBC News Douglas Alexander, Flickr’s general manager, summarised the ‘win-win’ mantra of The Request to License: “Flickr users are the eyes of the world”. “We have contributors from over 100 countries and images are coming in from every corner of the globe. This deal broadens the horizons and the global marketplace for commercial photography and gives our users the chance to make some money.”
Of course there is an obvious synergy between Flickr and Getty Images, however it should prompt you to think about what your customers are doing online that could be aligned to your company’s overall goals? Moreover, owing to the two-way stance of social media, what could you offer your community to entice them into building a mutually rewarding relationship?
