In “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000,” (buy it here) through what interactive marketing expert Pete Blackshaw calls “consumer-generated media”—blogs, social networking pages, message boards, product review sites—even a single disgruntled customer can broadcast his complaints to an audience of millions. This provides both challenges and opportunities – unprecedented in both directions; by not listening to online brand or company conversation, this can create enormous liabilities, while by listening to and acting upon conversation, this can create a distinct competitive advantage. The more time that passes that companies do not realize the duality of the situation, the more opportunity is lost, and the more the potential liability builds.
Pete outlines upfront three truths that inform the entire book:
- Businesses no longer hold absolute sway over the decisions and behavior of consumers
- The longer companies refuse to accept the influence of consumer-to-consumer communication and perpetuate old ways of doing business, the more they will alienate and drive away their customers
- To succeed in a world where consumers now control the conversation, and where satisfied customers tell three friends, while angry customers tell 3000, companies must achieve credibility on every front.
How do you create authentic messages, maintain credibility, and synthesize the fact that businesses no longer have absolute sway over decisions? By listening to, and acting on conversations that are happening on the web, businesses can accomplish all three. Companies that chose to ignore this important raw conversation will be left in the dust by more progressive firms who capitalize on the opportunities presented to them by simply paying attention to how the online space perceives their brand or company.
The important aspect of this conversation is that it is often “unfiltered.” It is not subject to biases that may be present in formal focus groups – it is simply raw perception. If there seems to be a disconnect between what execs believe their message is and what the online space is saying their message is – companies better listen. Unfortunately, (or fortunately for companies that use it to it’s advantage), perception is reality.
-Mike
