Social conversations spark shopping decisions
Social media becomes a more powerful tool every day for marketers and advertisers. To find out just how much of an impact talk about brands on these platforms has, Twitter and Publicis teamed up to conduct a study.
The two companies studied 9,600 people in the U.S., U.K., India and Mexico on the top six social platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Reddit). The study is called #LetsTalkShop.
They found that yes, talk about brands matters. Let’s take a deeper dive to find out just how much and what kind of conversation is best.
Brand conversation on social platforms is “the new review”
Ninety-eight percent of people surveyed say they actively look for comments about a brand, product or service, with 68% saying their impression of that brand, product or service changed. That is huge. Over half of respondents say their impression changed based on a conversation on a social platform.
Then take into consideration that a majority of those surveyed say these conversations on social platforms are just as, if not more, important than customer reviews on the brand website.
Even more important, 81% of people say they remembered conversations involving brands they did not know before, which leaves a lot of room for brands to gain more customers this way.
All in all, 60% of participants say seeing conversation on Twitter made it much more likely they would purchase from that brand.
Content of the social conversation matters
The topic of the conversation matters a lot. It is another way to use this tactic to gain more shoppers.
According to the study from Twitter and Publicis’, “businesses who establish and communicate their mission, values and points of view are well-positioned to leverage conversation.”
We know from other studies that a brand’s stance on various issues is important, especially to Gen Z. Most of this generation will buy based on if a brand’s values align with theirs.
Another interesting point from the #LetsTalkShop study is that positive conversations were more impactful than the negative ones.
Tips to start your positive conversation
Based on the #LetsTalkShop study the best thing for a brand to do is “be active, not absent, and reap the benefits.”
Basically, brands need to be sharing content that authentically contributes and helps support the conversation.
A brand has the ability to be in control of the narrative. Shift conversations into something positive, making it more memorable for the consumer.
The last tip is to connect to consumers in a way that makes the brand feel more human. Launch products, services, sales, etc., on social media. Host live virtual events to put faces to the brand.