Review before you buy; its all about e-marketing!

The three steps of the buying/decision process were identified on a blog written by Anthony Miyazaki at: http://e-marketingforsensiblefolk.blogspot.com/.

These steps were the need/desire recognition, need/desire development and last the need desire Fulfillment. Although there may be many versions of the buying/decision process these are the ones that get straight to the point. But how does e-marketing fit into this process known as the decision making process of purchasing? E-marketing has the biggest audience. The online world is getting bigger and bigger by the minute according to the latest statistics reveal there are over 1.5 billion worldwide Internet users (Internet WorldStats, 2009).  But really other than my own family and friends who could I really focus my attention to in this blog? I could keep researching facts about how the internet works and how many people are on it but why do that when I have personally seen how e-marketing influences MY own purchase decisions. My name is Sharon and I am addicted to ebay. I do not know why but that is where a lot of my spending money goes to. Its not even just because its easy to use or in a lot of circumstances, affordable. What really gets me into ebay is the reviews and friendly reminders that I receive by email or everytime I log on the ebay.com. It’s like they know what I like already and little things like that fill the need/desire recognition. It could be the silliest thing-10% your next purchase- things like this start to develop your need and desire for whatever item you are into. Finally, when I reach the last stage is when that item finally comes in the mail. A review of the item is to be done and I do it! Now other people can read my reviews and start their own buyer decision process. To break this story down most people do look online for information before purchasing anything and this is e-marketing’s biggest component.  According to www.emarketing-strategies.com people rarely buy straight away. Few online purchasing experiences are completed without previous research, and the Internet makes such research easy. Shoppers do this to review products and compare prices. Everyone does this. If you are buying a lap-top you compare brands and if you are like me, you’ll believe a lot of things you read if you don’t really know about the products. There are also recommendations online that tell you where you should buy things. Customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers.

According to www.bigresearch.com  almost ALL Internet users (92.5%) conduct online research before buying something and 81% of US online shoppers read product reviews by other customers when doing shopping.  Also 71 % agreed that consumer reviews make them more confident in choosing the right product (Nielsen, 2008). So from all these information I can say that I am very reliable on e-marketing in my own life.  I agree that e-marketing is at the beginning stage of the buying decision process which is why it is the most important in today’s world.

http://www.emarketing-strategies.com/search-engine-research.html

http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2008/Online-Shopping.aspx

http://e-marketingforsensiblefolk.blogspot.com/

A real connection in social media.

Everyone I know has a Facebook or a Twitter account. Most of us are connected to this online media world without even realizing it. In this age online media is a must for companies. The question is does it work? Does this truly connect people? Brands and people connected through an online network is there real results? Is there truly a connection by just a simple click on the "like" icon? There are over 50 social networking websites and this online world can get very confusing. I found a blog from Tamar Weinberg from techipedia.com on that blog she says, "I asked a big brand on twitter for help and they gave me a canned response. I miss the days when social media was more personalized." 

This is the real question to this social media frenzy. If people are not getting that real connection to the company online then they will never really be loyal followers of the brand. 

How does a brand truly connect with people? From what I know its mostly from an emotional appeal. People need to feel that connection and feel like there is something in in for them. From a book called Building Brand Value by Bruce Turkel he says, “people need to feel like its all about them.” In order to reach them you need to communicate in a way that answers; what’s in it for me? He also explains that its first hearts then the minds. In order for people to pay attention is to get them emotionally involved. 

Theblogherald.com says that there about 8 different reasons to use social media. One of those is to attract customers and another is for customer service.  These two reasons are the top things that establish a company and keep it alive. Just like the first example from Tamar Weinberg customer service makes the connection and if a service member doesn’t respond the right way then there goes the connection.  So in reality it doesn’t really matter how many friends  or likes you have. If you don’t provide the correct services then all those fans and followers will only be temporary.

links

http://www.inman.com/news/2010/06/24/6-reasons-why-social-media-works

http://www.techipedia.com/2011/social-media-connections/