Consumers Want to Interact With Companies on Social Media
Are you ready for the change in the way your shoppers want to communicate with you?
According to the recent Social Media Study from Cone Business, almost 60% of Americans who use social media interact with companies on a social media Web site, and one in four interact more than once per week. The survey finds that 93% of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media, while 85% believe a company should not only be present, but should also interact with its consumers via social media.
Your customers want a dialog with you. No longer can you push information out and hope that’s enough. Consumers expect a conversation and those brands that can interact with their consumers will win their hearts and minds. 56% of American consumers feel both a stronger connection with, and better served by, companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.
Consumers are making the choice to seek out your brand, rather than traditional media interrupting them, it’s a welcome channel for discussion.
When Americans were asked about specific types of interactions:
- 43% say that companies should use social networks to solve my problems
- 41% want companies to solicit feedback on their products and services
- 37% feel that companies should develop new ways for consumers to interact with their brand
- 33% of men and 17% of women interact frequently (one or more times per week) with companies via social media
33% of younger, hard-to-reach consumers (ages 18-34), believe companies should actively market to them via social networks, and the same is true of the wealthiest households (household income of $75,000+). Two-thirds of the wealthiest households and the largest households (3 or more members) feel stronger connections to brands they interact with online.
And eMarketer reports that Generation Y (those born after 1979) online buyers are more immersed in online and mobile activities than any other generation. 85% of Gen Y have a social networking profile, and 57% blog.
| Social Networking Sites on Which US Online Retailers Currently Maintain a Page | |
| Site |
% of Respondents |
|
32% |
|
| MySpace |
27 |
| YouTube |
26 |
| Flickr |
5 |
| Other |
10 |
| Source: Internet Retailer, September 2008 | |
This is good news because your customers are asking for a dialog, in a non traditional way. Are you ready to provide information the way they want to receive it?
Rebecca
