October, 2013 Societal changes over the past few years, including a decline in trust of people in authority and the boom of the internet, has lead to word-of-mouth marketing being considered the ‘most effective and important communication channel’ according to Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Word-of-mouth consulting group. Described by Kozinets, Valck, Wojnicki & Wilner as the ‘intentional influencing of consumer-to-consumer communication’, WOM is an extremely important marketing element for brands to consider. ‘Strong customer advocacy on behalf of a brand or company is one of the best predictors of top-line growth’ (Marsden, Samson,and Upton, 2005 as cited in Keller, 2007), and therefore examining a brandsonline engagement is a good way to determine how successful that brand is amongst target audience. 
By examining the online engagement of Lite n’ Easy’s competitors on their Facebook pages, we can identify the ways they build trust with their audience and encourage further engagement. Primary competitors were identified as ‘Jenny Craig’ and ‘Michelle Bridge’s 12-step body transformation’, two services that offer meal and exercise advice to help users lose weight. As these services are often community-based programs where users are encouraged to share their story and progress, facilitating successful online engagement is crucial.
One of the most obvious aspectsof these brands Facebook pages is the level of engagement the brand has withuser’s posts; replying to questions, offering advice and attempting to quickly quell negative feedback before it gains momentum from other users commenting on or sharing the negative post. This provides a real, personalised and human connection between brand and consumer, helping to build trust. By responding consistently and in a timely matter, it promotes the dedication of brand to consumer, and helps to encourage others to engage with the brand in a positive way.
Lite n Easy currently has good online engagement with existing users, however by encouraging more customers to engage with the brand on the online space through promotions or competitions the overall level of engagement could be improved dramatically. Additionally,developing a smartphone app is an extremely crucial step towards developing consistent online engagement.
As online messages are still considered advertising, acting in an ethically sound manner online is just as important as in the world of outdoor or print advertising. This means finding a balance between the demands of doing business in a competitive environment while remaining personally, professionally and organisationally ethical. An ethical issue unique to online is what to do regarding negative comments, as deleting that individuals opinion from a public space would be unethical, it is crucial that brands respond to negativity in way respectful to the user and their concerns and beliefs.