Engagement & relationship marketing Archives - Page 8 of 13

In the past few months, much has been written about the role of social networking sites in creating brand awareness. Businesses, all over the world, have been made to believe that social networks may go a long way in creating demand for their products and services.

I believe that too. At least, if businesses have the right strategy and a clear focus on what the role of social media is in their overall brand and marketing strategy.

However, the statistics recently found by a survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corp. for ARAnet have a different story to tell. Disclaimer: I did not find the statistics on the web sites of one of these companies but on this blog.

According to the post, of 14 different sources of information a customer may consider while making a purchase decision, social networks ranked much lower than personal networks (60%), TV broadcasts (40%) and search engines (39%).

If you are thinking that social networks may play a pivotal role as a preferred source of recommendation for products and services with young adults aged 25-34, think again. At least, according to these data.

This week, I read a post by Scott Zimmerman on Fast Company’s web site, talking about the differences between Gen Z customers and previous generations.

Understanding those differences can make that difference between companies that build relationships and those that will eventually be commoditized.

Gen Z customers, as Scott describes them, are “young, busy and often forgetful. They are also worried about fitting in with their peers and put a value on being highly connected. They’ve grown up with the Internet, instant messaging, text messaging and mobile phones. In fact, most Gen Z customers have their own mobile phones, and they spend their free time texting and communicating online. As a result, they expect family, friends, and even businesses, to communicate with them electronically.”