What’s the role of social networks in the consumer’s buying decisions?

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.

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Viral marketing: a bunch of tips on how NOT to do it

Despite all the viral marketing success stories, there is still an embarrassing number of amateur mistakes made in the average viral marketing campaign.

From plans falling apart to downright terrible marketing messages, newbie viral marketers tend to walk along a risky path. While success is still waiting at the end, there are several no-nos that are there to catch up marketers along the way.

In this post you will find five anti-tips that will help you plan and execute a successful viral marketing campaign, without any potential hold-ups or failures.

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