Research suggests consumers prefer to start their online shopping experience with search engines and social media sites rather than going directly to the site of an established retailer. Businesses that analyse the trends associated and utilize this knowledge in their marketing campaigns will have a huge advantage over those who don’t.
Google…
Services such as ‘Google trends’ and Google’s ‘Insights for search’ are designed to help advertisers and marketers gain a better understanding for consumer search behaviour, ultimately to identify new growth markets and modify their campaigns accordingly, for example, their Google ad words. By viewing the past months search trends, it is easier to predict what is likely sell in the following months. It is most likely that the most popular searches will correlate with the level of economic activity in the particular industries. This means you can launch promotions and personalize advertisements when you know certain products are selling well.
Google Trends provides daily and weekly reports on the volume of searches related to various industries providing details of geographic location and category. Google’s ‘Insights for search’ is similar to Google trends but with some added features; users can specify what category their search term falls under, generate a heat map displaying where search queries are coming from and compare trends by specific time ranges.
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=handmade%20jewellery&cmpt=q
Twitter…
Twitter is another method of tapping into what the world is thinking as consumers are now revealing more and more information about themselves online. Whilst individual tweets can seem insignificant, taking them as a whole can provide insight into consumer behaviour and public sentiment. Knowing your customers, allows businesses to adapt their marketing and even shape public opinion to benefit themselves.
Businesses are realising that building relationships and brand loyalty is much more efficient than pushing products on customers through advertising. Speaking authoritatively about your field will influence potential consumers; content is now more effective than blatant advertising. Consumers are now relying on social media websites as much as company websites for product information so businesses that utilize this and interact with their customers have the opportunity to promote their products.
Also, twitter search provides an up to date, real time insight into what consumers are saying about any particular product around the world. This has already become a research tool for any business involved in consumer trends.
Facebook…
Facebook employs behavioural advertising whereby adverts placed on individuals profile pages are highly targeted. Users have no problem sharing information such as date of birth, relationship status, political and religious beliefs and hobbies and advertisers use this to their advantage. They can effectively advertise only to their target demographic.
Facebook even offers real time reporting for advertisers on the effectiveness of their ad giving feedback on the amount of impressions and clicks.
Whilst some consumers feel uncomfortable with the thought of being tracked online, others admit they prefer relevant advertising as they are no longer bombarded with many different adverts. Advertisers have now realized that it is much more efficient to have their ads seen by a small amount of people who are likely to make a purchase rather than to thousands of people who will not give it a second glance.