Aug
10
So now we have faith in Strangers?
August 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment
‘We now trust a strangers recommendation as much as our closest friends’ a finding from the Universal McCann’s (UM) 2009 study ‘When did we start trusting strangers?’ (16MB) On top of this they found that the more educated one is, the more likely one is to trust strangers. Now this trust is not the up-close-and-personal type of trust but trust of opinion. Nielsen found the same in a Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey: ‘Consumers Trust Real Friends and Virtual Strangers the Most’
I have seen a number of comments recently that no real sales result from social media. Now maybe no direct sales result from this medium in the way that I go onto your site and buy something just because you recommend it. However, how many times have you seen a new book or product you are in the market for and had a look for it on Amazon, for example, and the reviews are so bad you do not buy it or do buy it because it has excellent reviews. Have you ever hesitated because of no reviews?
My question to people would be ‘Have you ever bought a specific brand of a product you are in the market for because of a recommendation on a social medium?’ I have seen people asking for recommendations on which products to buy on social medium. These may not appear as sales directly from social media, but they are. Social Media is fast becoming a major communication tool and communication equates to word-of-mouth
This also brings us back to measuring the value of word-of-mouth and measuring social media. Ogilvy have recently unveiled a tool for measuring social media. I am sure a number of new models and tools will be developed and released. This is just the beginning.
UM comment that there is a total revolution in the way consumers share influence and opinion. Surely these finding merit businesses and brands having a form of social media where people can post opinion about their products and services. Should you not be the ones providing the influencers a channel to share opinion? Would this not help you discover what your customers really think?
The final thoughts of the report are interesting:
New world of transparency
• There are no secrets in the new world of influence brands, products and services are under constant scrutiny
• The truth cannot be managed in the way it was when a few gatekeepers controlled the distribution of information
• The only path is honesty, openness and transparency. If you make a mistake in the new world of influence –you admit it and make good
Control has to be loosened – let consumers discuss, share and interact with your brand
• All categories of goods and services are now impacted by the new economy of influence and have to respond to a world where consumer opinion shapes the agenda
Be part of the conversation
• The new world of influence needs a more conversational approach; advertising should encourage interaction, input and community
• This means having a blog, being in social networks, creating content such as photos, videos etc – generally being part of the conversation
• Exist inside the social media services that consumers spend their time in and source their influence from
• Don’t be scared to advertise in bottom up conversational media that consumers are generating.
• Advertising has a big role in the future world of influence – it provides the revenue for most of the services that enable and cultivate consumer recommendation
Everybody matters
• Today everybody should be considered an influencer to some extent – we all influence and receive to some degree
• Every target audience should be encouraged to share opinions and influence
Reaching out to the creators
• The creators are the new super influencers, the ones that make the most of the tools of social media. Bloggers, video creators, podcasters etc should be considered as some of the most powerful voices in the future
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