Today I was Introduced to Plinky

Written by Jennifer Rogerson

Friday, 09 July 2010 09:42

Today I was introduced to Plinky. For those of you not in the know, Plinky is a site that offers daily inspiration for bloggers who claim writers’ block. Today’s conversation starter is “Describe your dream vacation.”

The idea got me thinking about the polls of social media users. Whilst there are those “twitterers” and “facebookers” who update their every move, there are also those, and I must confess I’m one of them, who prefer to observe from afar. Plinky seeks to solve this by providing the spark to ignite a chain of thought to be shared with the world.

The implications for marketers are endless. It is not sufficient to simply pay lip-service to the potential benefits of social media: To maximise the full potential of the likes of twitter and facebook, the brand must pull the users in, engage with them and provide compelling conversation-starters that generate interaction.

Online fashion retailer ASOS.com uses a Plinky-style approach to energise its customers via its facebook site. Far from being a palpable market research tool, the facebook page acts as a platform for like-minded individuals to chat about fashion-related topics. The savvy administrators of the ASOS facebook site regularly post comments such as “It's sunny in Camden! What about where you are? If you're flexing serious Summer Style, post a pic! We'll feature the best on our blog.”

Everyone has something to say about the weather, and facebookers respond in their hundreds, eager to share their fashion tips for a hot day. The result? ASOS is party to a wealth of invaluable consumer data. Perhaps even more profitable, however, is the effect the interaction has on the consumers’ relationships with one another.

Marketing consultancy Accelteon liken these consumer relationships to tribes, observing that consumers experience an innate need to feel part of something, an affinity with one another, and a sense of belonging. They comment that in cases where a strong bond exists between the users of a brand, brand loyalty increases. The benefits of brand loyalty speak for themselves, but what is noteworthy is the positive word-of-mouth marketing that can emerge when consumers get talking.

Whilst some businesses are disillusioned by social media, adopting an “If we build it, they will come” approach, it is those who energise their audience that will reap the greatest benefits. In terms of understanding our consumers, social media is all but futile if the users read but don’t comment. We can all learn from Plinky, and indeed ASOS, and consider how best to convert those secret social media cheats into advocates of our brand. Just give them something to talk about.

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