Big data is a challenge that every company is facing. However, it’s quite a misleading concept that the more data we have about our customers, the better we get to know them. It’s partially true, however we don’t just need raw data, we need organised and structured data. This is the data that you can get from social networks.
Of course there are various different ways to collect such kind of data – you could do a simple survey, ask all the questions that you’re interested in, and then analyse the results. Sounds really simple, but is it? This method may often be a preferred one, but at the same time it can never guarantee that the information provided is accurate enough, or whether the right audience was reached.
Social media on the other hand has really redefined the way that businesses promote their products and is now redefining the methods used to collect customer data. It is now one of the most popular ways of advertising and social media marketing is a huge opportunity that needs to be seized by every company. But on top of all of that it still has a lot more to offer. Facebook is the network in which personal information is shared just waiting to be discovered and interpreted. Here is why Facebook could easily provide us with the main demographic and psychographic information that we need about our customers – their age, gender, region, interests, likes and tastes. Using a social network’s social login is the way to get it.
Social login took off in 2013 and the trend will continue in 2014. Social login allows your customers to sign in to your site with their social network details. It can supplement or replace your standard registration form. It is a feature that is quickly growing in popularity as both companies and consumers are starting to realize the great benefits it has to offer to both sides. The user will have one less password to remember and site owner can get access to great demographic data.
One of these benefits is the fact that a Facebook login gives companies access to such valuable information that they won’t be able to find almost anywhere else. It actually provides most of the data that companies need to find out who their customers actually are. More importantly, the social identity data provided by Facebook is much more likely to be accurate, rather than the data obtained through a survey, for example.
Having access to such quality information in one place is something that marketers considered impossible before the advent of social networks. Although social login has to offer so many benefits, data collection is just one of the possibilities. Missing out on implementing social login could be a critical mistake that some business will make in 2014. Business will continue to lose out on customer information and more importantly miss out on customers that can’t be bothered to fill out their standard registration form.