The Significance Of Groundswell

By: Mark Shaffer

COM 340

Because of the progression in social media and the increasing participation of Internet users, there has been a development in the phenomenon referred to as Groundswell that has greatly changed the rules for online marketing. Groundswell is characterized as a "social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other instead of from companies, brands or traditional institutions like corporations." This act of socializing dictates the way institutions and corporations communicate to consumers because with the access to so many social media outlets, people are able to manipulate the traditional marketing strategies that used to once capture online user’s attention.

For some companies this may be seen as a down side to online marketing, however if used correctly or strategically, companies may use this trend to their advantage by communicating to new customers and fueling them to promote the company through social media outlets. This idea goes hand and hand for both small businesses and large corporations. In today’s society, people are much more familiar with technology online and use it to research and find trusted sources, therefore if a company does use the idea of groundswell to their advantage, getting customer feedback and consumer participation builds a trustworthy relationship with online user, thus building more potential consumer relationships.

The whole idea behind groundswell is the necessity for people to connect with one another. People-to-people communication through social media has become the number one online activity. Research from the Forrester’s North American Social Technographics Online Survey, suggest that online users feed off one another through surveys and consumer feedback to retrieve information and services more than any other form of online marketing. This trend that is setting the new standard for online marketing and people-to-people activity is making it essential for businesses to become familiar with the idea of groundswell and to use it in fueling public relations.