Bridging the Social Media Gap | Dr. RJ George | Dr. Richard George

“Bridging the Social Media Gap” Richard George, Food Forum Column, Grocery Headquarters, December 2011

December 1 2011 No Commented

“How do the older members of Generation Y (Mature Millennials, or MMs) compare to the older members of the Baby Boom generation (Mature Baby Boomers or MBBs) in terms of the use of social media?”
“When it comes to social networks, 85% of MMs participate in social networks compared to 62% of MBBs. The preferred social network is Facebook with 58% of MBBs who are social network members enjoying Facebook membership. On the other hand, 82% of MMs who participate on social networks are Facebook members.”
“While both generations primarily use social networks for personal interactions, the professional uses represent a real opportunity for food retailers. Food retailers can use these websites to recruit the best and brightest. In addition, Mature Millennials are using these sites to find information about products, services and the companies offering these products/services for sale.”
“Also, these sites act as an instant messenger for disseminating tales of dissatisfaction and attempted complaint resolutions. Essentially, the Internet in general, and these social networks in particular, have allowed every user to engage in “best practices sharing” when it comes to buying groceries, fresh and nonfoods at food retail.”
“These social sites represent the modern day equivalent of the “back yard fence” where neighbors used to share information, opinions and recommendations. The “wired” food retailer operator who monitors these sites and engages the customer in a dialogue is in the position to strengthen and, in many cases, to develop a relationship as a caring, responsive marketer.”
“These social media sites are viewed as a great resource for researching food retailers. This is true of both generations but doubly so for Mature Millennials. These fan pages give new meaning to “word of mouth” advertising. No longer will the traditional methods of discovery and engagement of your business by customers work. Where and how people discover and engage your food retailing operation has fundamentally changed.”