Marketers advised to heed social messages
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Research firm links online comments to product image
Amid high data consumption and sharing in online social networks, marketers should stress social listening to optimise customer loyalty and cope with unexpected crises, according to Ipsos.
Rattaya Kulpradith, a director of the market research firm, said yesterday that more than 18 million Facebook users and millions of active users of other social media such as Twitter, Instagram and blogs created and shared lots of information related to brands and products every day.
Although spreading the word through this new communication channel will not have a direct impact on the sales target of each product, some of these messages have an influence on customers’ perception of good or bad product image and reputation, she said.
Many big companies have already applied social listening to track what customers are saying about their brands and products. This method is being used before and after they launch a marketing campaign or product to ensure that they are going the right way.
“In-depth market research is still key for marketers and product owners, while we use social-listening surveys to collect customer insights from their conversations in social media that might influence others. That is also important,” she said.
This would help marketers get ready once an unexpected crisis occurs.
The results from social-listening surveys involve customer loyalty to brands and products. This method uses a combination of smart technology and human resources to collect and analyse conversations on the Internet on an ad hoc or ongoing basis to provide actionable information and insights, either standalone or in combination with other research.
Apple is an example. After launching the iPhone 5 last year, the US-based phone maker used social listening to track customers’ purchase pathways compared with its rival, the Samsung Galaxy S III. Apple decided to do this because the immediate reaction from its supporters varied from disappointment and criticism to eager anticipation and praise.
To cash in on this trend, Ipsos recently brought out a marketing tool related to real-time social listening for its clients, particularly conglomerates.
Given this tool and other key market research solutions, the firm expects to see growth of 7-8 per cent, mainly from key clients in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry.
