“Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage.” – Amy Jo Martin

If we think about how social media has helped businesses interact with consumers, we can see how powerful marketing has become over the years. If I think back to even ten years ago, businesses were at a loss for knowing how to connect with their customers. We often relied on customer service numbers, and believed that email was pretty high-tech. However, all that has changed for society. Instead, we use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to draw people into a virtual customer service experience. Businesses look to find new ways through social media to brand themselves. Warby Parker was just that type of company. By bringing in a new business model that put the customer first by developing a free-shipping and “Home Try-On campaign,” Warby Parker was innovative at that time, but it also sparked a trend for transactional communication. The owners of the company thought outside of the box by finding an alternative to buying prescription glasses and sunglasses. This was well before social media was even created when the creators of the company looked to reduce the dissonance that can occur in retail. Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider used the online experience to give individuals more options. They disrupted the eyeglass market and worked to change how services were being offered, as opposed to trying to change customer behavior, which can be quite difficult. The truth is, customers want to be catered to, but they also want convenience. I think that building a model that Warby Parker created in 2010 lends itself to building a personal communication. It doesn’t matter if we are buying eyeglasses or a toaster, customers want to feel like their needs can be met, and when answers are needed, there is someone there that will answer in just a matter of seconds. That’s the beauty of businesses like Warby Parker using social media. It allows for businesses to communicate one-on-one with their customers and to bring new ones in. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have a way of reaching a particular target audience. I’ve learned how Instagram reaches the younger generation of people (20-40). Facebook reaches those approaching or in the middle-aged years on up (45-up), and Twitter having the ability to reach both the younger and older generation of people. Just by using the right platform, social media has the ability to bring companies like Warby Parker to successfully build a following and develop a loyalty that wasn’t heard of prior to the development of social media. Hashtags, pictures, and media in general are just some of the ways to gain greater attention from consumers. Amy Jo Martin once said, “Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage,” and this couldn’t be truer. It is social media that allows for businesses to reach out to both new and existing, while building a narrative that is consistent to using comments to prompt participation. This was just one way that Warby Parker was able to use social media to their advantage, as consumers posted pictures of them wearing their glasses and encouraging buying at twice the rate then what they would have earned without the use of social media. It shows that when looking at Warby Parker, along with many other businesses that platforms found in social media are here to stay, and that’s a good thing. It’s a new experience that is not only for a business’s self-promotion, but also makes people feel good about changing their purchasing habits in a mutually beneficial way.