While in recent days small businesses have found themselves caught up in the world of social media and the prospects it can bring directly to their products or services, big business certainly has a brief history of their own in utilizing social media formats for marketing purposes.
So which companies are utilizing social medias these days and just how are they managing their social media campaigns?
Computer manufacturing giant, Dell, utilizes social medias such as in the virtual word, Second Life, for customer engagement. Second Life users can visit Dell Island to check out their latest products. Their blog, Direct2Dell regularly generates over 3.5 million views per month. Along with nine of their official internal blogs, there are literally hundreds of departmental blogs that are available in six different languages.
Dell’s Ideastorm allows their users to either suggest or vote on current ideas encouraging social media interaction. Further encouragement comes from internal Dell developers who do utilize the suggestions made by users for future upgrades.
Dell currently has over 22 corporate accounts on Twitter as well as more than seventeen individuals who currently use their name @dell handles.
IBM, the first large corporation to encourage employee blogging now has literally thousands of blogs, 125 of them corporate blogs, that are directly related to just about every aspect of their business. They host their own forums for interaction and discovery, as well as Podcasting from a place called developerWorks and Social Networking Now.
With their own ((S3N)) Team on Twitter and Rational Heroes community space they have dove into the social media frenzy with both digital feet.
IBM also supports Meet Mr. Fong on YouTube and machinima videos. The Virtual 3D world, Second Life, even houses the Rational Software Conference/Hipihi and IBM Business Center.
Coca-Cola who has rarely spared any expense in advertising has certainly taken advantage of all aspects of social media marketing in recent years.
They have their own blog support at Coca-Cola Conversations for discussions on the company’s history, support for online video such as Diet Coke + Mentos or Cans Professional 3.Â
They also have their own social networks in CokeTag Facebook applications and Sprite Sips. And as the others do, they also have their own spot in the digital 3D world known as Second Life, called Virtual Thirst.
Although there certainly is no shortage of companies that are utilizing social media in their marketing campaigns, not all will be able to have the reach as other larger corporations such as those here. However, with little effort and a bit of dedicated time even the smallest business can build a social media fan base that will directly benefit their bottom line.
 
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