As marketers it is very important for us to stop and ask this question. In fact, we should be doing that all the time. Social media (and traditional advertising for that matter) should be all about the consumer. If you don’t know what makes your consumer tick, then your marketing strategy is bound to fail.

People crave social media for multiple reasons! I condensed my thoughts into points that I feel are the main drivers. Please open up for discussion!

We have an inherent desire for connection and belonging. As humans, we have a need to be in a “community” with others. We are social creatures that desire acceptance as part of a group. Social media easily allows people to seek out specific interests and like-minded individuals. For example, I am gluten free and very grateful for the online Twitter and Facebook communities for gluten free individuals to converse, share information, and support one another.

We want to keep in touch. Friends and families are spread all over the world, but now we can easily and seamlessly keep in touch and be part of their everyday lives. Keeping in touch is simple because it makes communication about the seemingly mundane aspects of our lives acceptable. I enjoy keeping on top of what my siblings in other states are doing and feel close to them although we are geographically distant.

We want to share our opinions and have a means for personal expression. Say you have a great experience at a restaurant and you can’t wait to share what happened. It is so much easier (and more fun) to post that information via social networks. People can sometimes feel like they have no voice and their opinion doesn’t matter to anyone.  Social media gives a platform for a chance to be heard.

We want information and entertainment. In addition to keeping in touch and connecting with other people, we want good information and content. We also desire to share good information and content when we come across it. This is the reason videos, tweets, photos etc. go viral. If we have something of value to offer others, we want to pass it along! Who doesn’t enjoy receiving an excellent piece of information through social media or seeking out information we desire?

We want to be “in the know”. No one wants to feel left out or like they are missing out on something. Being on social networks allows you to keep on top of what’s current, what your favorite brand or business is working on, what your friends are up to, what products are most loved by consumers, etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts about other reasons why we crave social media!

We were eating lunch at the bar of the White Dog Cafe (which just happens to be one of my favorite restaurants) enjoying our lunch when the woman next to us spilled her glass of wine. This would not have been a big deal except that it splashed all over my long, WHITE coat. I was horrified, especially since I only wear this coat occasionally to avoid spilling something on it.  Everyone at the bar of course saw what happened and was trying to help. Instantly, people starting recommending that I get a Tide Pen to get the stains out. One person mentioned it then another chimed in about how well it works, then another.  Which brings me to my point… Tide with their Tide Pen has done such a great job of branding their product that people can instantly remember where to turn when a stain occurs.  Not only that, they have turned these people into promoters of their product! Every company’s dream.  Tide is also fostering this word of mouth online as their Facebook wall allows consumers to post how they were able to salvage their stains.  People are singing Tide’s praises! You cannot get better advertising than that.

Here are some tips for a business to start creating positive word of mouth that translates in the realm of social media, but also in offline situations:

Tide Pen saves the day!

1) Have a product worth talking about: Does your product live up to its promises? Make sure your advertising is not misleading consumers. The Tide Pen would never get the recognition it does if it didn’t work! Is there something exceptional about your product that would get people talking?

2) Provide a way for customers to communicate with you:  Let your customers tell you how they feel. Allow them to have an open dialogue and express their feelings about your product or service.

3) Offer exceptional customer service: Listen to what your customers are saying whether it is positive or negative.  Value their opinions and act accordingly. The way a company responds to a consumer is unbelievably important.  Your customers will feel empowered and happy, which is key when developing a word of mouth strategy.

4) Amplify word of mouth through various tactics: Partnering with organizations, creating loyalty programs, using blogs to disperse information, educating consumers are all just some of the ways word of mouth can be amplified once the essentials of product and customer service are in place.

Have a WOM tip to share? I would love to hear it! P.S. The Tide Pen worked and my white coat is just like new!

…And it works both ways: positively or negatively.

Advertising and the way people make purchasing decisions have shifted. This is not new information, yet there are still those clinging to the “way things used to be.” Now more than ever, companies must rely on word of mouth marketing and customer experiences to fuel their brand loyalty.  The modern consumer of today craves brand experiences instead of creative ad campaigns. Digitally and offline, customers want to connect with a brand and once they do, they will talk about it!

In the digital world, everything boils down to the experience. Consumers are interacting and communicating. Brands are being shaped by this interaction.

The statistics speak for themselves:

According to “FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009″, 97% of consumers report having searched for a brand online, 65% of U.S. consumers report a digital experience changing their perception about a brand, 97% report that the experience influenced a purchase and 96% say they may recommend that brand to others.

Whether online or off, customer experiences will continue to be the driving force of purchase decisions and brand loyalty. Talk to you customers… This is the first step in determing the experiences they crave.

If you can’t remember what high school was like for proof, a recent study shows the impact of peer pressure. Guests in a hotel room found a note asking them to reuse their towels – some stated the impact on the environment, some made similar appeals, but the most effective ones said that 75% of guests reused towels last year. This effect has been seen with election polls, movie openings, online sales, even minor news stories (with readers clicking on the most popular, and often least important, stories) – it becomes a self-feeding process. The most popular is the most visible, so it’s the discussed, which raises its popularity, which makes it more visible…

Knowing someone else has been there before you, has done what you’re thinking about, has purchased the thing you’re considering, has seen the movie you’re wondering about –makes us feel more comfortable doing it ourselves. Not everyone can be a Neil Armstrong, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t proud of Buzz Aldrin, too.

So what does that mean for you and your business? If you can get a customer to be your spokesperson, by giving them a great product, service and experience, you’re giving yourself the best kind of publicity available – positive, reliable, and free! Peer pressure may have negative connotations – but if you’ve got something great to offer your customers and their acquaintances, it’s your best friend.