Talk not Tell…

Here’s some interesting statistics from the blog The Power Of Influence, to keep in mind the next time you’re looking to influence your consumer base.

People were asked about where they get information from in order to make decisions about their entertainment options:

• 62% named ‘web sites with user reviews’ as their top choice.
• 59% picked ‘asking a knowledgeable friend’
• 52% went directly to the website of the product
• 25% consulted a newspaper or magazine

The next question asked was how a negative media article affects their decision vs a negative user review on a Web site. 

• 2.3% said they would be strongly affected by a negative critical
  review  compared with 45.7% who said it would have no effect at all.
• 30.5% said they would be strongly affected by a negative user review, while only 16.9% said there would be no effect at all.

Third question asked – Influence of a users review vs a friend’s endorsement.

• 86.9% of respondents said they would trust a friend’s recommendation over a review by a critic
• 83.8% said they would trust user reviews over a critic.

The last question asked – Over 40 vs under 40: Who uses what information source?

• 30% of respondents over 40 said they were “very likely” to use
  newspaper or magazine Web sites, compared with 19.1% of users under 40.
• 55.3% of respondents over 40 said they were very likely to use a product Web site vs 46.7% of users under 40.

What this survey tells us is that the internet – and it’s ability to connect real people with real people – is continuing to grow as an influence source for purchase decisions.  But it also tells us that people believe people not advertising or the media pundits.

When developing your next consumer activity think about ways to leverage existing customers and potentially your employees to drive business.  We forget sometimes that acquisition can best be done by those who use and support the product/service we provide.  Don’t immediately think traditional advertising or standard promotional offers – think about connections.  Think about the "who can drive sales" not "what tactic should we use?"

Build your plan around conversations – offline and online – make sure your plan includes ways for your users and employees can interact with potential buyers.

Enable the "talk" about the product/service – not the "tell" about the product/service.