- The quote: “Consumers are drawn to social media because they want to take part in the conversation and make connections. But many companies continue to treat social media as a one-way communication vehicle and are largely focused on how they can use these sites to push their marketing agendas. To positively influence purchasing through social media, marketers should learn to use it to listen and interact.” – Ed O’Boyle (Harvard Business Review)
- Why it matters: Gallup’s State of the American Consumer report adds additional credit to the power of word of mouth marketing over social media advertising. Brands who pay to play are getting shallow returns on their investments, while those who put time and money into fostering relationships on social media are reaping the benefits of deeply engaged communities. Influencing purchase is no longer simply about disruption, it’s about adoption. Adoption of brand values and culture must be the focus if companies want to consistently sell to their fans on social. A conversation is the perfect place to start.
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- The quote:
- Facebook is not intentionally dialing down organic reach.
- Organic reach can be achieved by brands.
- The vast majority of brands simply suck at creating compelling content for Facebook. – Jason Falls (Social Media Explorer)
- Why it matters: When Facebook announced changes to organic reach earlier this year, Jason wrote a piece in Social Media Explorer called, The Great Facebook Swindle and What To Do About It. The piece alarmed many and polarizing debates on the topic carry on still today from digital marketing. But in Falls’ new post, titled Proof It’s Not Facebook, It’s You, he shows a change of heart. He writes that when it comes to reach, it’s about the content — not the cash. We couldn’t agree more. Facebook’s job is to ensure its users want to spend as much time on the site as possible and the best way to do that is by serving them content they want to engage with. If your content happens to be the right fit, it’ll find its way onto the right screen.
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- The quote: “Brand is more than just “what people think of a company.” Brand is also what your company stands for, what it values, and what helps guide the company. In cases like Apple, the brand is exposed in every consumer touchpoint. How people feel when they walk into an Apple store. How they’re treated, and how they feel when they walk out of the store. Same for when they are shopping for devices and look at Apple as an option. How Apple portrays their products and their employees are viewed by consumers is vitally important to the buyers decision.” – Zach Bulygo (KISSmetrics)
- Why it matters: Here at Crowdly, we talk a lot about brand love. What drives it in consumers? What companies foster it? How is it earned? These questions are answered in Bulygo’s post. Brand love is all about the feeling a brand gives a customer when they use a product, experience great customer service, or engage on social media. It’s about getting the consumer to identify positively with a brand or product through the experience they have across channels. Read his great piece on the KISSmetrics blog to gain some valuable insight on the new buyer’s decision.
- The quote: “My main takeaway is this. Just like any other “real world” relationship, listening is important and should be a core focus. But listening without action is worse than not listening at all.” – Michael Brito (LinkedIn)
- Why it matters: It seems many of us marketers have forgotten a core value we learned in kindergarten — listening. With so many statistics and data points out there, it’s easy for information to go in one ear and out the other. But in today’s market, actionable insights are the most valuable tool any marketer can have in their pocket. Listening with intent is much different than listening for listening’s sake. Understand what your customers are saying and be nimble enough to react accordingly and eventually, anticipate future behavior. The resources are there, it’s your marketing department that needs to catch-up.
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- The quote: “The math makes it clear that the people who go to the theater regularly are often the ones who fill the seats, pay the bills and spread the word. It turns out that activating people who already like you is far more productive and profitable than it is to spend time and money yelling at people who are ignoring you.This one shift, a shift to building relationships between and among the core audience, to make plays for your audience instead of finding an audience for your plays, is the golden lesson that applies to just about every organization.Understand the worldview of those you’re trying to reach.” – Seth Godin (Seth’s Blog)
- Why it matters: As Godin points out in Three marketing lessons from Broadway, learning to “understand who it’s for” is the most important piece of the marketing puzzle. Having the core advocates of your brand pass the torch of their positive experience to their friends and family is the most organic and effective way to grow your customer base. 72% of consumers claim reviews from family members or friends exert a “great deal” or “fair amount” of influence over their decision to use or not use a particular company, brand, or product. Your brand fans are the ones spreading the word and influencing that 72%, as 26% of the population influence the purchasing activities of the others. Activate those advocates, and enjoy the benefits of making your biggest fans happy.
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