Welcome to the Internet of Things
Even as social is becoming just another fact of life for both consumers, brands, and marketing pros, a new wrinkle is starting to emerge.
There is already an acronym for the new game-changer: IoT, or Internet of Things. The short version is that virtually anything with an On/Off switch can be, will be, or already is wirelessly connected to the internet, providing a stream of data and behind-the-scenes conveniences that consumers are just starting to take notice of.
Already you can purchase refrigerators that sense when you are running out of milk; travel apps that let you know when you need to change your commute to work to avoid a traffic accident; even bathroom scales that track your weight and report changes to your fitness wearable.
A Healthier Social Conversation
This last example is perhaps the most important one, because as the market for health and fitness wearables grows, it creates a whole new kind of demand and expectation among consumers.
If your bathroom scale and smartwatch know so much about your body, your exercise habits, and whether you are losing or gaining weight, shouldn’t your doctor be similarly up-to-date and ready to talk about your individual data, then support your efforts with personalized advice, insights, and perhaps even a reward acknowledging your successes?
That is just one part of the conversation going on right now, as the breakthrough technologies of the growing IoT increasingly look to be coming out of the healthcare field.
In the commercial sector, many businesses are still catching on with the idea that social media is the best, most direct, and powerful way to connect with customers. This has been transformative to everything from how companies market to consumers, to how they fight PR fires and manage brand image.
Keep Up, or Be Left Behind
Healthcare has mostly managed to escape this wave of transformation, as medicine is still delivered primarily in person—with all the associated expenses (time and money) and limitations (access and transparency). The transformation is being slowed slightly by fact that the healthcare sector must balance privacy considerations with adoption of the new technology. Even so, efforts are already underway to address this new reality of 24/7 connectivity and personalization.
Now that internet-equipped wearables are offering consumers the chance to take ownership of their bodies and their health by tracking, recording, and charting all manner of biological and behavioral metrics, hospitals are under the gun to catch up and support this high-tech, internet-connected way of being health-conscious.
This is going to have a major impact not just on healthcare providers, but brands and companies in all sectors. By getting more engagement, more personalization, and more access through their IoT devices, consumers will come to expect a similar experience everywhere.
Keep Things Personal
That means that having a smart social strategy isn’t just about getting a message out, but handling incoming requests, communication, and being able to tailor messages not just to a demographic, but potentially to individual users and devices.
The best way to survive this transformation is to get more active on social media now, and learn to make different platforms work well for your brand or organization. The IoT hasn’t replaced the “old” internet yet, but that is no reason to wait around for the situation to become more obvious. There are three key elements you can start delivering now to prepare for the IoT revolution:
Accessibility: Don’t shoehorn your audience into one social channel over the rest—let them come to you, and learn to meet them where they prefer to interact and share. As IoT devices proliferate, you can bet that many, at least at first, will come with their own portals for sharing data, exchanging tips, and asking questions.
You need to prepare now to be versatile in utilizing social media, rather than anchored to just one account
Responsiveness: When people ask questions on Twitter or Facebook, be sure to answer them! Unanswered questions or unacknowledged users will be just as visible in social spheres as those who have a positive interaction, so make sure you don’t leave anyone hanging.
The IoT is all about data-sharing, so it will be important to establish a good track record for your brand in actively engaging, helping, and satisfying those who reach out to you on social media today.
Sincerity: As people grow accustomed to more personalized interactions and having their individual needs considered, they will become increasingly skeptical of canned answers, auto-responses, and generic feedback.
Make it a habit to keep things human on your social accounts, and demonstrate that they are not an afterthought of a busy, preoccupied company, but a priority of an engaged, compassionate organization.
If you can practice these health habits today, then you will be ready when healthcare’s IoT disruption starts to really change consumer expectations.
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1mpFebU via transformational marketing
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1PAviES
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