Kirsty Bell,
Insight Manager,
Yomego
eBay
eBay tops our social media league table, galloping up from their 2010 Interbrand ranking of 43. The company may appear a surprising winner, but eBay introduced community forums in the late 90s and can rightfully be regarded as one of the pioneers of social interaction. The company takes social media seriously, and has a full time corporate blogger, Richard Brewer-Hay, who has served as its social media voice for over three years.
eBay has also embraced social media for internal communications, with an intranet featuring blogs, forums and discussion boards. Each employee reportedly has their own landing page which can be customised. eBay was also among the first to start a social media corporate disclosure program, with earnings, for instance, published via Twitter.
It has also been quick to integrate with the major platforms. Its new social commerce tool, eBay Group Gifts, uses Facebook’s Open Graph to allow users to split the cost of a gift, with each paying their share through PayPal. With over 400k fans on their largest Facebook page, the app has a massive potential audience and could become a future case study in delivering social media ROI.
eBay’s success is also amplified by highlighting the success of others – its users. The ‘eBay Ink Social Media Sellers programme’ showcases eBay sellers who have harnessed social media platforms to greatest effect to boost their sales.
Satisfaction around the eBay brand is remarkably high, driven buy the natural instinct of telling others when you’ve grabbed a bargain. But strict procedures and new technologies are used to quell worries around fraud and disputes to keep advocacy high, drowning out the odd moan. The brand has established a level of trust that means the community largely polices itself, making it easier to focus resources in the right areas.
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NMA Opinion
Ebay, one of the first to make user reviews integral to the shopping experience, has been fighting the rise of independent etailers and group-buying networks over the past year. After many brands turned their backs on Ebay for allowing the sale of counterfeit goods, it extended an olive branch with the launch of several pop-up stores in its fashion section. But its reputation still centres around low cost instead of quality.