From the Editor: Sprout Social Report Says Brands Must ‘Inspire Change at Scale’

Reflections from Jen

With my in-box stuffed full of Earth Day announcements, one in particular caught my eye: a new report from social media management platform Sprout Social that explores how consumers want brands to communicate their position and engage in conversations on political and social issues. By now, most companies realize that they can improve brand image and customer relationships by sharing the messages around their environmental sustainability, and social media is one of the most obvious places to take a stand.

But the “how” of social media engagement is a key to successful conversations: brands like Heineken and GoldieBlox have learned that they can forge connections and improve relationships by engaging intelligently with their communities via social media, but others have learned that it can be a struggle to navigate the biggest and (sometimes) most controversial conversations online, the Championing Change in the Age of Social Media report points out.

There’s no single definition of the “right” way to engage, Sprout Social says. Rather, consumers want brands to:

• understand what they care about;
• be sincere when commenting rather than just “hopping on the bandwagon;”
• reach out at the right time; and
• answer the question “Why should I care?”

Today, it’s no longer just a matter of consumers expecting a company to do its part to improve social and environmental issues; increasingly, they expect brands to “inspire change at scale,” Sprout Social says.

And while commenting on hot-button social issues can be tricky, it’s becoming ever more necessary. Not only did the Sprout Social survey find that 61% of consumers want brands to take a stand on environmental issues on social media specifically – it also concluded that brands have more to lose by staying silent than by speaking out.

For my part, I enjoyed reading the study because, as someone from the generation that came before the prevalence of social media (my kids tell me I use the social network for “old people”), getting insights on how younger generations want to hear from us was fascinating.

Anyway, happy Earth Day and have a great weekend. And if you haven’t already done so, make sure you register for ELEMCON (just 24 days away!). Today’s the last day for the reader-only $400 discount. Use code PT1 when you register.