Achievement

Good Evening Everyone,

Today we were asked to blog about how companies in our industry are using social media to achieve their marketing goals.  I chose to look at the social media utilized by camera companies.  I assume that the general goal that these companies have is to sell cameras and equipment.
The first company I started with is Canon, and the first place I looked was Facebook.  I was really disappointed with Canon.  First, I had a hard time picking which one of many was Canons actual site, so I had to go to the website. Canon does not have an obvious link to FB or Twitter on their site, so i'm left guessing as to which FB site is Canon.  I chose http://www.facebook.com/canoncameramsia?sk=info. I am suprised that Canon is not advertising their new T3I DSL EOS on this site.  The page is dedicated to Malaysian users, and the contests are all for Asia.
The site seems dedicated to photography challenges, which is great.  Over 140,000 people "like" this site.  the Canon marketing team initiates contact with the users, and responds to any questions that people have, which is also good.
The second site I tried was Nikon. Nikon also does not have an obvious post for FB or Twitter on their website.  I did however have a much easier time distinguishing which FB page belonged to Nikon.  At the bottom of the FB page for Nikon, they list their Twitter address, so I was able to find that easier as well.
I like that Nikon displays their product line on their FB page.  They do not appear to interact with their customers via FB, but they do appear to engage with their customers on Twitter (although not necessarily interact with them).
My general opinion for both companies is that they are doing a poor job using social media to their advantage.  I think they should outline their products better online, and have customers leave feedback about the cameras.  Both companies should link their social media to their actual websites for easy access.  They should post updates regularly and engage their audience better.  When someone comments "how much is this?" perhaps they could offer suggested companies (such as Best Buy) to contact for pricing information.