Dec
2009
9
how to win consumer affection
Until recently, brands were seen to be controlled by the organisations that owned them. While companies continue to clutch onto their status as brand guardians; the ultimate power has shifted somewhat to the voice of the consumer via social media. Now a single consumer has the potential to air their opinion to an audience of millions whether through a personal blog, tweeting on Twitter or adding comment to other online articles. Organisations not yet used to dealing with this dramatic shift have found themselves in hot water and it's often been caused by choosing to ignore this newly empowered voice.
In the midst of this newness, brands wondering how best to handle the change should perhaps recollect a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, "If you mean to profit, learn to please." This poses the question, how do companies really please today's consumers? It's true that the basics of traditional techniques still stand; form relationships, listen to your customers, respond relevantly, deal with complaints, give customers a little something extra. What's critical now though is how to actually make these techniques work in today's marketplace.
One of the genuine advantages of the social media explosion is that there are now loads more opportunities for companies to eavesdrop on what consumers are saying about their brand. Judging the mood, assessing their needs, understanding their patterns of behaviour - suddenly it's all become that little bit easier. This listening plays a vital part in knowing your audience. However the 24-hour, global online conversation means that tolerable response times have diminished significantly. What used to be an acceptable 24 hours might now require decisive action within the hour.
To successfully take part in these online conversations, organisations need to become familiar with all the communications tools at their disposal and learn how to comfortably fuse old with new - a critical strategy depending upon the target audience. Engaging with the audience and talking to them about their challenges, bugbears and preferences will give brands the confidence to deploy the perfect fusion of marketing communications at any given time.
And who said the art of conversation is dying? It isn't dying, it's evolving.
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