Headquartered in San José, California, Cisco Systems is a multinational technology corporation. The company specializes in telecommunications equipment, networking equipment and numerous high-technology products and services (Waters, 2002). In a bid to build its brand and take advantage of the ongoing digital revolution, the company has placed emphasis on the use of social media. For instance, the company launched an online and social media campaign themed “There’s Never Been a Better Time.” This campaign has helped the company grow its market segment by capitalizing on social media platforms (Waters, 2002).
The dominant feature of this campaign is that it does not only present Cisco as the leading player in the Information Technology (IT) sector but also invites the clients and customers to give their opinions, views, and suggestions on how to make the world a better place through technological innovation. Thus, the campaign is not only compelling and captivating but also constructively engages the target audience (Waters, 2002).
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Cisco employs several strategies to promote itself through social media channels. These include the use of pop-up messages as well as invitation links to draw the attention of social media users and to prompt them to engage more with the company. In this case, the links and pop-up messages appear on every social media page. The company uses such key social media platforms as Facebook and Twitter amongst others. Through these platforms, the company is also able to share news, updates as well as relevant information on its products with the audience (Wilson et al., 2011). Moreover, Cisco uses videos extensively. This enhances its interaction with both employees and clients.
Unlike other companies which often advertise on social media, Cisco does not display content of the campaign on any social media page (Waters, 2002). Instead, an interested party has to join the online conversation. The users are therefore assured of their anonymity and privacy even as they take part in the campaign. Likewise, this facilitates an in-depth interaction between the company and its clients, both potential and existing.
Cisco’s social media marketing strategy has been a success. For instance, according to statistics on online user traffic, the number of people joining the social media conversations has risen consistently since the campaign was launched. This indicates that interest in the campaign is growing. Despite the success of Cisco’s social media campaign, some aspects can be improved. One useful approach would be the introduction of rewards for creative and innovative suggestions and ideas. This is an incentive that would result in increased participation.
References
Waters, J. K. (2002). John Chambers and the CISCO way: Navigating through volatility . John Wiley & Sons.
Wilson, H. J., Guinan, P. J., Parise, S., & Weinberg, B. D. (2011). What’s your social media strategy? Harvard Business Review , 89 (7/8), 23-25.
