Influencing the customer to buy is the goal of all marketing. From yesteryear's traveling salesman and his tales of a snake oil so potent it could cure everything from baldness to dropsy, to today's contextualized ads that are based on your browsing history, that influence can take many forms and happen in many places.
And one of the most fascinating and effective forms word of mouth currently takes occurs across the spectrum of social media.
To anyone who ever doubted social media's meteoric rise in the lives of everyday people, the numbers must be staggering. According to the Pew Research Center, 52% of online adults in the United States are active users of two or more social media sites.
Facebook remains the heavyweight among these sites with 71% of all online adults claiming membership—70% of whom use the site daily. Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and others all continue to gain users as well.
With an influence this far-reaching, social media's effect on shopping decisions is something a retailer can't afford to ignore.
The New Word of Mouth
Once upon a time, word of mouth marketing was considered the Holy Grail to marketers of all persuasions. Research consistently showed that a recommendation—or its opposite—from a trusted friend or acquaintance could boost or hurt sales better than any other form of advertising.
In fact, McKinsey&Company found word of mouth to be the primary factor in 20 to 50 percent of all consumers' decisions about what to buy.
But today, there's a new sheriff in town, and his version of word of mouth marketing takes place on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The social media mention—that spontaneous, (hopefully) positive review thumbed in less than 30 seconds via a smartphone's touch keyboard—is the new word of mouth marketing.
Paying attention to each mention on social media is one of the keys to harnessing the 21st century’s version of word of mouth and is an essential part of eCommerce marketing strategy.
It's Not Just What You Know . . .
Before the Internet, when a retailer's product elicited positive word of mouth marketing, it was rarely noted unless the customer told the salesperson at the actual point of purchase.
Today, thanks to analytics, when someone mentions your brand or product on a social media site, you can know about it instantly—as long as you're keeping tabs on mentions. Yes, it's great to know what's being talked about and in what light, but how can you leverage such so much data when there are so many sites to monitor?
. . . It's How You Know It
With an eCommerce management solution that includes a social media sentiment feature, you no longer have to hustle to know what people are saying on which sites about your brand and products.
Unobtrusive, graphic overlays within Smart Merchandiser’s management interface show likes, page views, shares and searches related to every product in your catalog. When something starts trending, you can move it to a featured placement. When something gets mentioned, you can respond.
Social media mentions are the new word of mouth and greatly affect the purchasing decisions of today’s buyers. Smart Merchandiser allows you to manage your digital reputation and gain the ability to act on trends.
See what Smart Merchandiser can do to help you capitalize on social media sentiment—download The Digital Merchandiser’s Guide to Maximizing Margins with Visualized Data eBook to learn more!
