subject: Adding a Little Color to Influencing Consumer Behavior [print this page] Adding a Little Color to Influencing Consumer Behavior
People used to be more cautious about how they spent their money. They would talk to each other about a product before investing in it. A salesman would com to their house and have to work really hard to get them to buy it. Today, that concept is still alive, especially in the world of online marketing.
Today the salesman is you and your brand. You are in a way going to people's homes through the Internet. People will get home form work, sit down comfortably on a couch and hop online. This is where you come in, ready to deliver service. But simply shooing them a fancy gadget is not all it will take these days. You need to find out what they like before you even waste your time.
It is easier to find people who will like you product online than it was years ago, when salesman went door to door. That was a lot of footwork and probably a lot of rejection. Thankfully, companies have it easier with the invention of the Internet. Now, you can find your customers instead of throwing yourself out at everybody. The number one reason you will want to choose your audience is because it will be more cost effective and conserving of your time. And of course it filters out the unnecessary data when it comes to influencing consumer behavior.
The key to finding your audience is going into chat rooms, reading people's blogs and engaging in these ongoing online conversations. If your are a tech company, research online tech forums and groups. This way, you can narrow your search for customers and potential buyers by picking people who are interested in the genre you deal with.
The traditional marketing approach of marketing to everyone doesn't work as well today. It costs you more time and energy than finding a specific group of people who are interested in tech gadgets and products.
In some way, social networking sites help your company in being selective. This selectivity means more chance of making a profit, because why waste your time on people who have no interest in what you sell? Instead of convincing them to like you, find people who like what you are all about. Advertising is expensive and with today's recession, we could all benefit form cost-cutting and penny-pinching. And yes, there are ways to do this effectively for your business. It's called getting to know your audience and marketing to your potential customers, not the whole entire world.
