This week, I read about conversational marketing...
Actually, it involves companies creating a Facebook page or blogging to get direct feedback from the customers and be closer to them.
Companies felt that they couldn't just let people talk about their products on the Internet,
sometimes criticize them, and share opinions without doing anything...They had to step in.
That must feel awful... Imagine... Reading or hearing things without being able to say what you think about it... or even being asked for your opinion...
Oh, wait ! That's what used to happen to us, customers, before the Internet and Web 2.0... ! Companies sent messages we were supposed to receive, listen and buy.
Less funny when it's the other way around, huh?
The Internet is completely revolutionizing the business. Companies feel like they are being left aside from what is happening on the web. They tried to use the Web in the old-fashioned way (regular website) but they are being forced to adopt the new tools of communication their consumers are into...
As it was said in the article from the Economist:
So, they come up with Conversational Marketing... Brands are trying to socialize with consumers by joining the social networks. They want to show that they care about what we think...and they want to "make friends with us".
I think the real motive for this sudden interest in blogging is that companies felt the shift in power. Not being able to control the message when you are a marketer is a real problem.
The communication scheme :
identified transmitter => encoded message => receiver (and noises around that threaten the transmission) is completely renewed...
Interaction is developing, instant feedback from the receptor, and countless noises are part of the new scheme.
That seems like a big challenge to take up, doesn't it? Will conversational marketing be enough?
Actually, it involves companies creating a Facebook page or blogging to get direct feedback from the customers and be closer to them.
Companies felt that they couldn't just let people talk about their products on the Internet,
sometimes criticize them, and share opinions without doing anything...They had to step in.That must feel awful... Imagine... Reading or hearing things without being able to say what you think about it... or even being asked for your opinion...
Oh, wait ! That's what used to happen to us, customers, before the Internet and Web 2.0... ! Companies sent messages we were supposed to receive, listen and buy.
Less funny when it's the other way around, huh?
The Internet is completely revolutionizing the business. Companies feel like they are being left aside from what is happening on the web. They tried to use the Web in the old-fashioned way (regular website) but they are being forced to adopt the new tools of communication their consumers are into...
As it was said in the article from the Economist:
"markets are conversations"... and companies want to target and reach their market... But they are not part of the conversation...
So, they come up with Conversational Marketing... Brands are trying to socialize with consumers by joining the social networks. They want to show that they care about what we think...and they want to "make friends with us".
I think the real motive for this sudden interest in blogging is that companies felt the shift in power. Not being able to control the message when you are a marketer is a real problem.
The communication scheme :
identified transmitter => encoded message => receiver (and noises around that threaten the transmission) is completely renewed...
Interaction is developing, instant feedback from the receptor, and countless noises are part of the new scheme.
That seems like a big challenge to take up, doesn't it? Will conversational marketing be enough?
Photo credit to :
http://www.cartoonstock.com
http://glencarlson.com
6 comments:
That is really interesting. You have a great perspective. Companies must have discovered that recommendations from people in an online environment work when selling a product.
I know that I pay attention to review websites and sometimes read message boards before I purchase something--it's a part of proper product research. It doesn't work as well when you have someone with a clear bias (someone from the company in question) selling something but pretending to be a regular consumer. The information is only as good as the source I guess.
Hey julie you have got a different opinion, but your idea is cool. I was worried about being irresponsible for their post. I think you come up with the good point that I did not think Thank you.
hey julie I read your posting very interesting. You really have firm opinion about Conversation marketing. Your post makes me to think about the Conversation marketing in aspect of your suggestion. Thanks.
Great post and interesting point of view, but I don't know if I would call it a "power shift," maybe just a change in consumer awareness. Consumers always had the power to believe what they want, buy what they want, and voice their opinions, but now they know about that power and how to use it.
@ Andrew and Alex :
Exactly, consumers realized the value of their opinion, and found a way to express it. We keep hearing about Business to Consumer relationship, Business to Business, but now, the time has come for a Consumer to Consumer relationship which sounds really promising.
Consumers can do more than listening to what sell people tell them. They can actually speak their minds and get feedback from people like them... unbiased users.
I myself do not think that marketers/companies are threatened by the consumer-to-consumer relationship. Yes, it does force company to make their products better and to be more careful of the media. However, do consumers have enough motive to blog/chat about products? Will consumers get the efficient feedback that they need? I think there are many possibilities for this relationship not becoming such a big problem. Unless consumers are trained to have a mechanism of providing feedback constantly and daily, marketers will still be the main source that we consumers use
Post a Comment