As social media and inbound marketing put more and more customer recommendations, ratings and testimonials in the public eye, Internet shoppers are increasingly influenced by this content. Recent statistics reveal that more than 8 out of 10 people say that opinions and recommendations from people they don’t know indicate brand quality and influence what they buy.

‘Cause customers won’t give you a second chance.
My wife loves shoes, and buying shoes is definitely her weakness. So we’re lingering about downtown doing a little window-shopping when we wander into a rather upscale shoe store. As my wife perused the displays, a sales clerk approached and asked us if he could be of assistance. Holding a pair of Christian Louboutin’s she politely asked the clerk if he could tell her why they were so expensive? If you’re a shoe enthusiast, you’ll know that to purchase a luxury ‘red souled’ Louboutin requires to most a second mortgage. This was the perfect opportunity to convince – or at the very least influence – a customer on the value of the Louboutin brand. Unfortunately our sales clerk at this high-end shoe store failed miserably creating not only a lost sale but also a negative customer experience.

As social media channels continue to pick up steam, the concept of Inbound marketing, including social media channels have become recognized assets for businesses to get found by, and engage with potential buyers on the web. Old school marketing continues to evaporate, leaving companies with limited choice but to adapt to these new marketing methods.

In our continuing series:
Start leveraging Facebook to grow your business. Part 4 of 4