Inspire Customers to Post Repeatedly

What makes it more likely that your satisfied customers will use social networking to recommend your store? The strength of relationship a customer feels with others makes a difference. But more powerful than this is the frequency with which the customer communicates online, regardless of the strength of interpersonal ties. The implication: Inspire customers to post repeatedly.
     That conclusion is suggested by research findings from Forethought Research and Monash University, both located in Australia. The study reinforces two previous research findings:

• A special category of customer called a “market maven” is especially valuable to you. Market mavens are a type of opinion leader. Rather than considering themselves as expert advisors on only certain retail products and services, market mavens counsel others about the whole shopping experience and will then recommend specific stores.
• Go beyond saying to customers, “Please recommend us to your friends.” Say “Please recommend us to your friends and to friends of your friends.” Attend to weak-link referrals.

     Here are a few ways to identify market mavens in your community:

• Ask your staff to be aware of customers who offer suggestions for improvements. This is one trait that distinguishes market mavens from customers who only ask questions, give praise, and give criticism.
• Regularly ask your customers who recommended they shop with you. When you start hearing a name repeatedly, you may have spotted a market maven.
• Team up with other local retailers to exchange information on market mavens. Research at University of Mannheim and University of Texas-Austin finds that market mavens aim to keep current about all sorts of retailers.

     As to the friends of friends, keep in mind that even in these days of raging social networking, word-of-mouth (WOM) about your store is most likely to be passed on via face-to-face conversations.

• Encourage customers to shop with you in groups so you can benefit from what you hear them talking about. Hold special events. Carry enough of a range of items to appeal to friends of friends. Then while they’re shopping, listen to the group members’ chatter. Have sales staff ask customers for specifics about what they like and areas for improvement.
• Give shoppers materials and internet links they can take away with them as conversation starters to share with a broad network of family and friends. This is especially useful for newly introduced products and items for which the purchaser incurs monetary and/or self-concept risk.

Click below for more:
Court Market Mavens for Social Media
Attend to Face-to-Face Word-of-Mouth
Grab On with Weak Connections