Exploring the Link Between Customer Care and Brand Reputation in the Age of Social Media

Consumers are more empowered than ever to share their customer care experiences. Through the use of social media and new communications tools and technologies, messages can be sent more widely than ever before. This research study examined the links between social media, customer satisfaction, brand reputation and customer loyalty. The Society for NewCommunications Research designed the research to examine how customer care influences brand reputation given the widespread adoption of social media. Objectives of the research included:To assess the extent to which consumers research and review companies' products/services online prior to making purchase decisionsTo assess the influence of social media on user opinions as they relate to the customer care experienceTo determine what types of online resources and social media are considered the most valuable sources of information about the customer care experienceTo assess the extent to which consumers are influenced by their own customer care experiences and how they think sharing that information online influences how others view products and brands

New Media, New Influencers and Implications for Public Relations

Marketers and public relations professionals today are confronted with an astounding array of new communications channels. Internet-based social media tools like blogs, podcasts, online video and social networks are giving voice to the opinions of millions of consumers. While mainstream media continues to play a vital role in the dissemination of information, even these traditional channels are increasingly being influenced by online conversations. The "new influencers" are beginning to tear at the fabric of marketing as it has existed for 100 years, giving rise to a new style of marketing that is characterized by conversation and community. Marketers are responding to these forces with a mixture of excitement, fear and fascination. They're alarmed at the prospect of ceding control of their messages to a community of unknowns. Yet at the same time they're excited about the prospect of leveraging theese same tools to speak directly to their constituents without the involvement of media intermediaries.The Society for New Communications Research set out to conduct an examination of how influence patterns are changing and how communications professionals are addressing those changes by adopting social media. The goals were to discover how organizations:Define new influencers;Communicate and create relationships with them;Use social media to create influence; andMeasure the effects of these efforts.Another goal of the study was to use these discoveries to offer a set of recommendations to professional communicators