A study released by EXPO, showed that moms as consumers are 12x more likely to trust a consumer review of a product than any promotional materials or marketing messages. (View the full article @ emarketer.com)

What does this tell us? This says that times are changing and what PEOPLE are saying about your brand is just as, if not MORE important than what you are saying about it. With consumer TRUST now in the hands of consumers themselves, it’s time for brands to start listening and responding to what their customers want.

Are you listening to your customers? Do you know what they’re saying about your brand? We can help you listen, contact us today.

THE VERDICT IS IN.  According to ListenLogic’s Voice of the Consumer Report, Audi was the talk of social media during Super Bowl XLIV:

FINDINGS:

Audi was the most talked about and Dodge had the most positive sentiment.

Methodology:

ListenLogic used its proprietary social media listening platform and analytic methodology to tap into the conversations relating to Super Bowl XLIV automotive ads across message boards, forums, microblogs, blogs, news and social-networking sites.

The first step in this study was to gather a clear signal of the Super Bowl viewer and remove irrelevant noise. Our analysts used a combination of automated and manual techniques to identify accurate mentions, removing commercial editorial from the data.

American Dialect Society announced ‘Tweet”, a short message sent via the micro-blogging site Twitter as the word of the year, .  Ever since the official ‘WOTY’ (Word of the Year) tradition started in 1991, an internet theme seems is emerging: “information superhighway” (1993), “cyber” (1994), “web” (1995), “e-mail” (1998), “tweet” (2009), “web” (90’s), “google” (00’s) .  Something of a web-matryoshka-doll effect seems to be taking place.  The web led to emails to search engines to major gaming to wikis to social networking…  Is listening next?  Maybe something broader, perhaps something more obscure –we’ll be listening either way.

Certainly, the creation of words like ‘Tweet’ and ‘e-mail’, ‘Google’ and ‘unfriend’ are evidence that social media is affecting and expanding language around the world.

Since Tweet was the word of ‘09, I thought we’d look back at some of the most popular abbreviations, symbols, and terms that are a large part of communicating on Twitter and other social networks.  Some have even pierced through and become part of the spoken language:

1. Smh – Shake.My.Head. “OMG, there’s no way I’ll ever listen 2 another Chris Brown song after what he did.  Smh.”
2. RT – The Twitter version of the oh-so-glorious “copy and paste”.  Re-Tweet allows you to share a fellow Tweeter’s Tweet. Display their post on your own Twitter preceded by an “RT” -share their insight with your network, express your approval, disapproval, or complement the comment with your own 2 cents.
3. ATM – It’s no longer just a machine that spits out cash, at the moment it means… “at the moment”.
4. Imma – I will or I am going to bla bla bla.  This is simply a sloppy but efficient way to begin the aforementioned statements.
5. FNG – A new employee…
6. ROFL – Rolling.on.(the).Floor.Laughing.  Someone just posted a knock knock joke so absolutely funny, it has you literally (also a new favorite for anyone meaning ‘figuratively’ but choosing to be incorrect, therefore negating any opinion they may be expressing) rolling on the floor laughing.  You write ROFL in response so that they knew you just rolled on the floor in due part to their ridiculous post, message, IM, email, whatever –or at least that you thought about it –maybe you lol’ed and would have rofl’ed if the floor if the dog hadn’t used the floor for a toilet.
7. b4 – (instead of before) This abbreviation and others like it allow a Tweeter to save space in their post, more importantly a millionth of a second in time that you can spend Tweeting more later.
8. (N)SFW – Not.Safe.for.Work.  (or vice-versa)  So, you’re staring at a scandalous email with a scandalous image.  It’s hy-ster-ical. You’ve got to forward it to your co-worker.  However, you most certainly don’t want her to unwittingly open it in front of the CFO who frequents the co-worker’s workspace.  Simple –type “NSFW” in the subject line and your co-worker will know that she needs to wait until the CFO leaves for the restroom to open that email.
9. JK – Everyone knows this one, regardless of what your demographic  is. “I’m not really a chocolate person.  JK!! lol.”
10. FTW – For.the.Win.  “I have 4 new friend requests. FTW!!”

The other day Mark and I were discussing a concept from the book Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans. In Chapter 3: What Is Social Media? Evans describes social media’s impact on the purchasing decisions of consumers. First he examines the traditional role of Marketing and Operations in ‘The Classical Purchase Funnel’ going from Awareness to Consideration to Purchase. Marketing makes a promise to consumers (Awareness); consumers form expectations based on that promise (Consideration); and Operations makes sure those expectations are being met (Purchase). A consumer’s opinion of a purchasing experience is what then drives word-of-mouth, but without the web this sharing of information occurs in a limited way. They tell their family, close friends, and maybe a few co-workers about their experience, whether it be good or bad. This closed and simple process represents the old way of doing business to please your consumers.

The Internet adds another dimension to include the element of “post-purchase” consumer-to-consumer interaction, namely in the form of social media. Evans calls this updated and expanded process ‘The Social Feedback Cycle’ and the Internet is what makes it possible on a larger scale than just family, friends, and a few co-workers. Now there are three more steps following Purchase: Use, Form Opinion, and Talk.

Consumers purchase a product, use the product, form an opinion about the product, and lastly – most importantly – talk about the product.

• Use: online shopping is super popular these days and with many sites offering free shipping and free returns, there is often no risk in ordering delivery. Consumers are able to test out the product from their own home (aka no pesky salespeople are trying to work their magical, persuasive ways on the customer).
• Form Opinion: people are being extremely honest with their opinions; there is an understanding among consumers that we all want the best deal and will help each other out to get it.
• Talk: Social media allows anyone to publicly broadcast what they think to anyone who is listening.

Everyone is talking. ARE YOU LISTENING?

- Gail

The evolution of the Internet is something I find very fascinating.  It is remarkable to see how much the Internet has changed in a very short period of time.  Less than fifteen years ago Google didn’t even exist and now it is a verb in the dictionary.

Google Homepage in 1998

The Internet has grown in many different ways, but it would be relevant to talk about how it has grown to affect the way we do business.

The emergence of social media has provided businesses with opportunities that they never thought could exist.  Social networks bring millions of people together in one place.  Which has opened up brand new marketing channels and opportunities.  Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, etc… all offer new ways for companies to reach consumers.

However the real value of social media is how it allows consumers unprecidented access to the companies they love (and hate).    Social networks give consumers a voice.  People are not afraid to share their opinions of a company/brand with their friends, and their friends listen.  I trust my friends opinion much more than I would trust a stranger’s opinion.  With blogs, Twitter, videos, and message boards consumers can publish their opinions in a matter of minutes and be heard by potentially thousands (or much more) of people.

If that many other people are listening, businesses are now seeing that it is essential for them to listen as well.  From marketing to customer service to damage control listening is important for every department of a company.   A few years ago it would not have even been possible to gather everything that is being said on the Internet and listen to what people are saying, however with advancing technologies (which will only continue to advance) it is now a reality.

The technolgy now exists, but it is still up to businesses to decide whether they want to listen.  At first some companies may view listening to the Internet as a challenge and something else they need to spend time and money on in an economy where time and money are hard to come by.  However while it does offer a new challenge, it offers much more in the way of new opportunities.

- Brian