Page 58 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2014

AC/E digital culture ANNUAL REPORT 2014Aswellastheadvantagesalreadymentionedthere is one which stands out from all the others on account of the results it achieves, results that have been confirmed by companies that have already taken these steps. That is, direct contact customer care, without intermediaries and without telephone calls on hold waiting for an answer.If a reader wants to ask a publishing company about the date of publication of a book or when it will be available as an e‐book, or if someone wants to know if a particular work of art is to be included in an exhibition, or even if they want to ask the author of aworksomethingspecificabouttheirwork,theydo not need to be listening interminably to music played down the telephone while they think about how expensive the call is going to be. It is likely they will receive an almost immediate response through a contact that is totally personal and direct.Apart from technological questions such as platforms and tools, which are obviously not without importance, the cultural industries are facing the great challenge and, at the same time, have the great advantage of defining, together with the users who consume their content, what the next years are going to be like. There is no excuse for a large publishing company or a small theatre group not identifying their audience, their public, and establishing a broad relationship with them in which both parties will always benefit.Of course there must be some aims, to increase sales, the launch of a new title, to promote an exhibition, but what is more important than all this is to strengthen the social and participative aspect. These are collaborative spaces in which, in many cases “persuasive” tactics are not totally rejected. In this regard, there are four points that define what social consumers who actively participate in these spaces are like.1. Social consumers are consumers of information. According to a study carried out by Nielsen, 70% of Internet users trust the comments and opinions made by other consumers via online media.AC/E2. Socialconsumersproduceinformation.These kinds of users immediately share their experience. Consumers who are the passive receivers of messages are disappearing; new consumers consider themselves to be active, they want to be recognised for publishing and generating content of interest for the entire community.3. Social consumers are mobile. The apps and social networks connect the consumer to groups that are akin, even at the moment of purchase. They have access to the information they need before making the decision to buy.4. Socialconsumerswantmutuallybeneficial relationships. They want to be treated on equal terms and do not want to be accosted or pursued by advertising, superfluous promotions or commercial messages. They want their questions and doubts to be answered honestly and they want those answers to provide solutions.One of the greatest benefits of adopting a Social CRM is the creation of a new point of contact with the customer, and in this case, one of great value. Until now communication was very unidirectional, both nodes sent messages, but there was nowhere for them to connect. Now, with the social media, customers know that there is somewhere where they can have greater contact with the cultural content they demand.In the words of Molly Barton, global strategy director for the Penguin publishing company, the publishing industry must achieve a greater level of collaboration with their readers via the social media.There are advantages for both parties. There are advantages for companies and institutions because they can avail themselves of a space for promotion, information and debate that is ordered chronologically and with tools that enable them to learn about the behaviour of their audience (what they like, when they read their publications, what country they are in when they seek access and so forth) and there are advantages for consumersWHERE WE ARE HEADING: DIGITAL TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF CULTURETHEME 5: CULTURAL SECTOR MARKETING AND CONSUMPTION THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CURRENT PAGE...58