hogjowl
Idiot™
This is a direct copy of an article I read this morning in Floor Covering Weekly:
Since 2008, The Gallup Co. annually releases The State of the American Consumer: "Insights for Business Leaders. " Among other things, this study measures consumer spending, confidence and expectations.
The most provocative article in its study this year is "The Myth of Social Media." In the article, a majority of consumers say they are not influenced by Facebook or Twitter. According to BIA/Kelsey, U.S. companies spent $13 billion in 2013 on social media and by 2018 they will spend $18 billion. But when consumers are asked why they use social media (FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) 94 percent do so to "connect with friends and family." Only 29 percent say they use social media to "follow trends/to find product reviews and information." When Gallup asked these same 18,000 consumers about the influence of social media on their buying decisions, 62 percent said they had no influence at all. Only 30 percent said social media had some influence and 5 percent said social media had a great influence.
Guess what is far more important to consumers when they are considering a purchase, regardless of dollar amount (big ticket versus products valued at less than $100)? "Gallup research shows that consumers are much more likely to turn to friends, family members and experts when seeking advice about companies, brands, products or services. Company sponsored Facebook pages and Twitter feeds have almost no persuasive power."
Facebook and Twitter are the most prominent social media sites, They are great for eople to people communication. But why would you spend time on these sites for your store? Many companies think they can advance their products and/or brands via Facebook and Twitter. But Gallup found that consumers are "highly adept at tuning out Facebook and Twitter content. These channels do not motivate prospective customers to consider or try a brand."
Facebook knows this. Yes, Facebook says it asked hundreds of thousands of people how they feel about the content in their news feeds, and people told them they wanted to see more stories from friends and pages they care about, and less promotional content. "We dug further into the data to better understand this feedback" the company said. "What we discovered is that a lot of the content people see as too promotional is posts from pages they like rather than ads." Got it? Facebook users say that a business site they like that promotes itself or products is an irritant. So why do it?
Retail owners have limited time and money for marketing. Gauging from the number of training sessions on social media at this Surfaces, one would rightly think this (social media) is the wave of the future and you need to spend time and money to get it right. Yes, you want to be where the customers are but you want to be where they want you to be when it comes to products (or services) store brand and more! According to users, Facebook and Twitter are not the place to be for your business.
Next time someone wants to teach you how to turn Facebook likes into lots of moolah, pass. Instead, spend time on making your website mobile app friendly; add 20 different videos to your website (she loves videos) and hire a great new salesman. You'll be money ahead.
Since 2008, The Gallup Co. annually releases The State of the American Consumer: "Insights for Business Leaders. " Among other things, this study measures consumer spending, confidence and expectations.
The most provocative article in its study this year is "The Myth of Social Media." In the article, a majority of consumers say they are not influenced by Facebook or Twitter. According to BIA/Kelsey, U.S. companies spent $13 billion in 2013 on social media and by 2018 they will spend $18 billion. But when consumers are asked why they use social media (FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) 94 percent do so to "connect with friends and family." Only 29 percent say they use social media to "follow trends/to find product reviews and information." When Gallup asked these same 18,000 consumers about the influence of social media on their buying decisions, 62 percent said they had no influence at all. Only 30 percent said social media had some influence and 5 percent said social media had a great influence.
Guess what is far more important to consumers when they are considering a purchase, regardless of dollar amount (big ticket versus products valued at less than $100)? "Gallup research shows that consumers are much more likely to turn to friends, family members and experts when seeking advice about companies, brands, products or services. Company sponsored Facebook pages and Twitter feeds have almost no persuasive power."
Facebook and Twitter are the most prominent social media sites, They are great for eople to people communication. But why would you spend time on these sites for your store? Many companies think they can advance their products and/or brands via Facebook and Twitter. But Gallup found that consumers are "highly adept at tuning out Facebook and Twitter content. These channels do not motivate prospective customers to consider or try a brand."
Facebook knows this. Yes, Facebook says it asked hundreds of thousands of people how they feel about the content in their news feeds, and people told them they wanted to see more stories from friends and pages they care about, and less promotional content. "We dug further into the data to better understand this feedback" the company said. "What we discovered is that a lot of the content people see as too promotional is posts from pages they like rather than ads." Got it? Facebook users say that a business site they like that promotes itself or products is an irritant. So why do it?
Retail owners have limited time and money for marketing. Gauging from the number of training sessions on social media at this Surfaces, one would rightly think this (social media) is the wave of the future and you need to spend time and money to get it right. Yes, you want to be where the customers are but you want to be where they want you to be when it comes to products (or services) store brand and more! According to users, Facebook and Twitter are not the place to be for your business.
Next time someone wants to teach you how to turn Facebook likes into lots of moolah, pass. Instead, spend time on making your website mobile app friendly; add 20 different videos to your website (she loves videos) and hire a great new salesman. You'll be money ahead.
