It’s becoming ever more common to see tables of people poised to eat their meal waiting, fork in hand, as one of their group painstakingly photographs what everyone is eating for social media, similarly, brands are vying for the attention of bloggers and instagrammers to post glamorous images of them enjoying their products. What this tells us is that although the old adage says consumers are more likely to voice complaints than praise for a company, they also increasingly like to post positive experiences.
To put these perceptions to the test Yonder Digital Group commissioned independent research firm MindMetre Research to discover whether it really is true that consumers are far more likely to make a complaint, over social media or word-of-mouth, than to praise a good customer experience. The research found that social media has made important changes to consumer mentality with people taking to the web to share positive experiences and reviews as well as complaints.
With almost 40% of Europeans on Facebook and 600 million active Instagrammers, it’s clear that businesses cannot afford to ignore the importance of social media as a channel, yet to date, most attention has been focused on avoiding angry customer rants, while our research confirms positive reviews and shout-outs are just as likely.
Results, in fact, show that 38% of consumers will actually post about a positive social media experience, more than they will broadcast a negative one (31%). Other more traditional ways of communicating such as word-of-mouth also remain very popular and the same trend for sharing positive experiences also applies, with 89% of consumers inclined to ‘tell’ friends and family about their good experiences. In addition to this it is worth noting that, although social media are increasingly popular across all age groups, word-of-mouth is far more consistent across all age groups.
What brands should be focusing on, therefore, is leveraging this good will and making it travel further still. In fact, by making it easier for consumers to praise a brand over social media consumers are transformed from customers to ambassadors. With a clear understanding of the ‘customer journey’ that doesn’t rely on trite stereotypes but is based on rigorous, objective analysis of customer data combined with best-practice data handling will help businesses understand their customers better and provide a more satisfactory experience, maybe even one that is Tweet-worthy.
Finally, this research clearly tells us that businesses need to ensure that customers that are sharing good experiences are being analysed, understood and – ultimately – encouraged to continue sharing the love. Investing consumers with ambassador status is a highly effective strategy, but positive reviews and comments only take place when customer experience is truly exceptional. Businesses wishing to encourage loyalty and drive positive ‘noise’ need to harness their customer data first and then use their understanding and analysis to provide top-class customer experience.
By Graham Ede at Yonder Digital Group
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