With the recent dominance of social media, more and more consumers turn to their friends and fellow consumers via the internet and mobile phone technology to educate themselves and justify their purchasing decisions.
The products we buy and the brands we support appear to be determined by a number of contributing factors: our needs, our character, our budget, our timeframe, our geography, our beliefs, the advertising we are exposed to etc…
But there’s another substantial factor that unquestionably drives sales: Our community.
Described as “Social Commerce”, factors such as whether we like someone, dislike them, respect them, admire them, believe them or agree with their views – these factors all affect the products we buy, the services we use and the brands we subscribe to. The purchasing choices of the people around us greatly influence the products we consider using and buying.
Take a seat. For a while now I’ve been looking for the right gym. First I checked the internet and a list of local gyms appear. The internet gives us a wonderful freedom to browse and learn about solutions to our problems without feeling the shame of ignorance of having a conversation with a salesperson. Type “How to” into google and amuse yourself with the queries that drop down. A google search isn’t enough though. Of course when I go to a company website, they’re going to be singing their own praises – it’s the internet, anyone can write anything on this thing (see: this blog). I need to hear from a real person. Someone like me.
So I look at a few gym websites and check their testimonies. They all look pretty good. I begin to wonder if maybe the bad reviews mysteriously don’t make it up there. I can’t be sure so I feel I should ask around. There’s one gym that looks pretty impressive but gym memberships aren’t cheap, I don’t want to get sucked into some forsaken sweat locker. The gym website are all trying to hurry me up by offering a free trial but I won’t be lured in yet.
The people I speak to don’t know much about them, they have nothing bad to say but neither have they got anything good to say. I decide one of them is worth a look and take them up on their free trial. Something about the gym doesn’t quite feel right for me. A few weeks later a man is shot there. I clearly need a second gym to get tough enough to attend this one. I think I need to keep looking.
Yesterday I sat down with a trusted mate. An athlete, potential Olympian and a local of my area. He spoke highly of another gym nearby that I’d never heard of. Tomorrow I will enquire about their free trial after spending extensive time searching their website. Unlike their competitors who offer a single day, the free trial this gym offers goes for a week (perfect to make room for the Christmas pud). They’re having a membership promotion for December. I have the money ready. My trusted advisor and fitness authority has given it a tick. He uses it himself. I’m excited, I’m validated, look out gents this could be a sale!
The kind people at TabJuice have created an Infographic that helps clarify the bizarre commonalities of consumer behaviour.
(Infographic sourced from Digital Buzz and TabJuice, 2011)
By creating an integrated marketing campaign of branding, advertising, social media and point of sale to name a few, your business will give itself the best chance of being placed in a positive conversation among friends which will undoubtedly convert into increased sales and status.
If you’d like to discuss any of these concepts further, Outsource My Marketing is a full service marketing agency that specialises in Branding, Strategy, Creative, Production and Marketing Management.
If you would like help with your marketing in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin or Hobart then contact Jeremy Hope today on 1300 131 377 Mobile 0418 564 685
