大咖预测匿名社交网络会在未来爆红

People and companies alike aren’t sure just what to do yet with anonymous social networks, but as Facebook FB 4.60% , Twitter TWTR 2.61% and the like history shows, their usage will soon explode and companies will have to be in the wings, quick to leverage for marketing efforts.
然而，部分客户仍然对他们的信息去往何处以及如何被使用心存芥蒂。匿名社交网络为他们提供了保护——为客户主动提供的信息构建了防御体系，使其免遭商业利用或监视；商业机构只能通过倾听和处理反馈信息的方式，认真对待匿名社交网络。

Over the last decade, the convergence of social, mobile, and cloud technologies has resulted in extremely informed customers. Before ever engaging with a company, customers know almost everything they need to, leading to massive changes in the way they buy. Customers are no longer passive observers–they’ve become active participants, educating themselves about products prior to making a purchase via social media and online review sites.
从市场营销的层面，匿名社交网络也有利用价值——只需思考下企业能够发起的所有话题，以及能从中捕捉的商业信息就能说明这一点。一方面，企业可以注册一个帐号，用来收集人们的声音。人们对某一品牌颇有微词还是非常欣赏？产品的某一部分是否需要改良？客户服务是否需要继续改进？

Still, there are many customers who fear where their information is going and how it’s being used. Anonymous social networks provide protection–a shelter for unsolicited information that won’t be used for advertising or surveillance; businesses have to start taking anonymous social networks seriously by listening and acting on the feedback.
有时候，这些话是谁说的并不重要，重要的是这些话是否真实。另一方面，商业机构也可以主动发起讨论。譬如某零售商想知道客户对本季新推出的热辣颜色感觉如何。那么他们要做的就是发起这个话题，然后看看人们如何回应。尽管这种市场调研方法潜力巨大，但是调研结果仍然算不上精确。

There’s also an opportunity to capitalize on these networks from a marketing perspective—just think of all the conversations a business can start and information it can capture. On the one hand, businesses can create accounts and tune into what people are saying. Are they complaining about a brand, or are they happy with it? Do parts of a product need changing? Does customer service need improvement?
这也是为何在通过匿名社交网络调研的同时，商业机构仍然要和他们的客户直接沟通，以便顾客们之间可以互相交流看法。商业机构也可以借助其它公司进行调研，这些公司利用透视社区，即保密的线上环境，在使客户确信其资料不会被滥用或出卖的基础上，得到所需的信息。

Sometimes it doesn’t matter just who is saying these things, it only matters if it’s honest. On the other hand, businesses can also create discussion. Perhaps a retailer wants to know what customers think about a hot new color this season. All they have to do is begin conversation and see people react. While there is big potential in this type of approach, ambiguity remains.
本文作者安德鲁·里德是Vision Critical的创始人、总裁兼首席产品官。Vision Critical是一家云端客户智能平台提供商，总部位于温哥华。