Contemporary Digital Social Networks

The Role of Commoditization in Contemporary Digital Social Networks

Introduction

Commoditization has resulted in several ways through which marketers and producers use social networks and the content that is made available in the contemporary world. As the competition keeps on increasing, competitors make every effort to ensure that their products are accepted by a large population to outdo competitors. Markets are sensitive about the impact of social networks in promoting and selling products in the current times. A high number of people in the current generation are subscribed to social networks, and engaging them through the various platforms has helped in the commoditization of some products and services. Social media is an important tool in introducing the details of a given product or service to a target population without the need to involve sophisticated marketing strategies that are expensive in most cases.

Commoditization in Social Networks

Commoditization is all about making a given product or a service to appear indistinguishable from similar products offered by competitors. To produce the desired commoditization, marketers have embarked on social networks to provide information about their products to make them appear closely related and more valuable than what competitors present in the market. Participating in an online discussion in various online platforms is a good way to engage potential customers to convince them later the reasons as to why they should use a given product instead of similar products offered by competitors (Daubs et al. 53). The success of such a process requires that the right information is given promptly during the discussions to make sure that participants develop trust with everything that a marketer might be haring online. Answering customer-service questions within the shortest time possible helps to attain maximum engagement of customers and to improve their participation. It works well when a marketer avoids discussing sensitive information of their competitors to just respond to the questions asked and making it appear that their products or service are more valuable than those offered by their rivals.

            The content that is made available on the social networks ought to be critically sought for it to make the desired impact. It works well when insightful information is shared in the social networks, which shows how well a given product or service is better than others. Sharing useful tips indicates how sensitive a given marketer or producer is in making sure that consumers get the best in terms of their preferences. Making several posts daily is a good way through which online participants get used to a given marketer or producer and their products. Maintaining the daily posts and professional communication with the participants helps to convert online users to buying and returning customers. It works well when canned information is avoided considering that it might not work well should the online users determine that the information is not correct or misguiding in any way (Heath 61). Precise and original information helps to create trust when convincing a targeted population as to why they should use a particular product or service instead of others.

Social networks are a preferred means of communication by many people in the contemporary world, and producers have extensively used it to achieve their desired commoditization in a move to keep up with the competition. The communication aims at reaching out to a large number of users to let them know about the desirable features of a product that they should take advantage of.  Online users are specific to check on the reviews or comments that other people make about a given product or service that is either posted or advertised online.  In order to create a good image for a product that is advertised in social networks, it requires that all concerned raise by online users are adequately addressed. It works well in cases where the producer or marketer gets started in private communication, through direct messaging, in cases where the concerns raised are sensitive or require sharing of personal details. In order to achieve an effective commoditization, it is important to respond to all concerned in a professional way, which is indicative of how well a given marketer or producer is committed to delivering the best to consumers.

Online users who have had an experience with a given product or service are quick to comment on such products or services whenever they are posted or shared on social networks. It is thus important to monitor the kind of comments that are posted to make sure that a given post does not end up tarnishing the name of the product or service in question. Some marketers are specific to keep real-time monitoring of the comments to delete those that are extremely negative or create a bad image rather than encouraging more people to get started or continue using a particular product. Commoditization, through the use of social networks, requires that a company dealing with a given product runs an interactive online platform that engages the targeted population in a good way (Vojak 123). It requires that there is a stand by a team of persons to manage the online platform such that posts are made regularly while at the same time ensuring instant replies are made to all questions raised. The persons used on the online platform ought to have a good understanding of the product or service being advertised. A good understanding means that one should have a clear picture of the product or service they are dealing with as well as what competitors are offering.  A person with a good understanding of the market dynamics of a given product is in a better position to respond to queries raised by the online users about a product or service that has been posted on social networks.

Positive and Negative Reviews

            Positive reviews and comments made by past consumers of a given product are important in determining how well consumers are satisfied with the properties or quality of whatever is made available in the market. A producer can make use of the positive reviews to make additional improvements on a product to make it better and comparable to other brands, which might be considered to be superior at any one time. Some of the reviews by long-time users give insights into some of the things that can be changed to make a given product or service better that whatever is offered by competitors (Daubs et al. 55). Some consumers of a given product or service are happy with the product but have suggestions on ways through which improvements can be made. They tend to have experience with products offered by competitors, and their comparisons and suggestions should be taken seriously. Superior brands have specific attributes, which makes them be a choice of many people, and it is important to check for such attributes in information sheared by the various social networks.

            Negative reviews and comments are also important as they help in identifying some of the things that consumers are not happy about. A negative review or comment reveals the bad experience that a past user had with the product in question.  A producer should make use of the negative reviews to identify effective ways through which informed changes can be made on a product. Some of the negative reviews reveal some of the features that users consider to be excellent and are catered for by competitors, especially those dealing with superior brands. A negative review that is shared online should be treated with much professionalism in a move to understand the reason behind such a review (Colicev et al. 38). It works well to engage a user who makes a negative comment about a given product or service to get finer details about their sentiments. Engaging such a user professionally and privately helps to get more details about how consumers feel about a given product to allow for informed changes and improvements.

 The current trend of commoditization using the available social networks has resulted in the creation and use of a variety of techniques that are meant to portray a given product as a superior brand and indistinguishable from similar items offered by competitors. There has been an emergence of a number of applications that are used to come up with excellent and detailed images. The applications are used to develop videos and colorful images of a product such that they appear to be attractive when posted on social networks. The use of colorful images and detailed videos of products helps to create an impression that a given product is prepared with much professionalism and, thus, a preferred one to others offered by competitors. It works well when such images and videos are accompanied by insightful messages that give more explanation of the coded messages in either the images or the videos.  The clarity and simplicity of the visual resources are important in making sure that consumers or the targeted population get a quick understanding of the attributes of a product or service being advertised.

Conclusion

It is a fact that commoditization has impacted social networks in several ways.  Producers and marketers have made several advances in the way they use the available social networks to build the brand name of either their products or services. Commoditization aims at making a product or service appear indistinguishable in the presence of similar items made available by competitors.  Professionalism is important when sharing information on social networks, which is indicative of great concern to give the best to consumers. Positive and negative reviews and comments should be treated with much sincerity in a move to make informed and desirable improvements on a current product or service.

Works Cited

Colicev, Anatoli, et al. “Improving consumer mindset metrics and shareholder value through social media: The different roles of owned and earned media.” Journal of Marketing 82.1 (2018): 37-56.

Daubs, Michael S., and Vincent R. Manzerolle. “App-centric mobile media and commoditization: Implications for the future of the open Web.” Mobile Media & Communication 4.1 (2016): 52-68.

Heath, Barbara J. “Commoditization, consumption, and interpretive complexity: the contingent role of cowries in the early modern world.” Material Worlds. Routledge, 2017. 56-76.

Vojak, Brittany. “Fake news: the commoditization of internet speech.” Cal. W. Int’ l LJ 48 (2017): 123.