As I wrote about in my article Web 2.0 is Branding 2.0, businesses can strengthen their brands by leveraging the internet as a platform for open collaboration with their customers. The purpose behind the dialog can be to entertain, share ideas or drive sales– yes, that’s drive sales.
A recent global Internet survey by Nielsen found that despite the vast array of advertising platforms, consumers around the world place the highest level of trust in other consumers. While that’s not so surprising, the study also showed that the level of trust and reliability of customer feedback posted online ranked 3rd among the advertising media surveyed.
So what this tells us is the more opportunities/vehicles businesses can give customers to “spread the good word” about their business, the greater (and easier) their ability to instill positive impressions that “soften the beach” and move prospects closer to the sale.
So start your corporate blog, that Ask & Answer forum, include a “forward-to-friend” function and get your best customers, your high net promoters, working for you.
