O'Connell Communications, Inc. is
a boutique public relations firm that represents technology and industrial companies that wish to increase recognition through smart media exposure.
According to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive, brands that use microblogging sites like
Twitter to provide real-time responses to the public are winning a
higher degree of trust from consumers.
Among the study's other findings, an overwhelming
majority of respondents said they used the Internet to research
purchases, with close to 90% saying the web helped them compare options
for packaged goods and electronics and to book travel.
Some 75% of people surveyed said they view
companies that post status updates on social networks like Facebook as more
deserving of their trust than those that do not.
The findings on Twitter are particularly
notable in a year where many leading corporations found themselves in
crisis mode, from BP's role in the Gulf oil disaster to recalls from
Toyota Motor Corp and Johnson & Johnson. It underscores that companies need to be well set up in
the social media world well before any potential problem arises, building a
relationship with their customers so that trust can help them manage a
crisis.