subject: The Complexities of Influencing Consumer Behavior [print this page] The Complexities of Influencing Consumer Behavior
Companies use to try everything to get our attentions, from interesting packages to unforgettable commercials, they would bribe us with just about anything to bribe our attention. But those days are over. In today's world, your customer can't be as easily convinced as you may think. For that reason, you will want to do your homework because influencing consumer behavior is not as simple as it once was. Because most people don't trust businesses as much as they trust one other, they are more picky about the brand they choose and also what that brand represents.
The change in influencing consumer behavior is in the shift of control. Companies use to have control but now with the swarm of new discoveries in the tech field, consumers are fully taking control of how they are being influenced. Having an online forum and a number of places to go online for answers puts your customer in the driver seat of deciding what brand is deserving of their investment, and what brand they do not want anything to do with. This definitely puts companies in a more challenging position than ever before, but this is something they can both benefit from.
If a business wants loyal customers, they will need to earn their trust. You can't expect to sell bad products and have satisfied customers. It just doesn't work that way. If you upset consumers, they will probably upset you when they bad mouth you to other online users. Word of mouth is the most used form of marketing so it is important to leave your consumers with the most positive experience. Even if the experience just comes from the relationship they are building with you. Just like a restaurant wants their customers to leave happy, you will definitely want to do the same.
There aren't too many rules protecting businesses against people verbally bashing them online which means you have to be careful in preserving your image to such a vast group of people. If someone did call your brand out online, your negative PR is exposed to a large number of people and your image becomes unfavorable to a god number of potential customers.
