
Is blogging and social media interaction a waste of time for our businesses?
Let's face it, if it is, we should stop it. Right now.
Or is there more to blogging and social media that we need to consider?...
Is blogging and social media interaction a waste of time for our businesses?
92% of buyers now begin their purchasing 'journey' on the internet.
And this 92% of buyers completes 57% of the purchasing process before engaging with a company's representative.
Do you find these statistics as incredible as I do? Think about it:
9 out of 10 of our potential customers with complete just under 60% of the purchasing process on the internet before they'll contact one of our company's representatives.
That's amazing. And somewhat scary if we're not engaging with them!
Let's consider the Purchasing Process that we all follow as consumers. There's several stages:
AWARENESS
INTEREST
EVALUATION
DECISION
PURCHASE
RE-EVALUATION
RE-PURCHASE
Yes, as businesses we all want to be the 'supplier of choice' when it comes to the PURCHASE stage (and hopefully the re-purchase, too) - but 57% of the purchasing process is completed in the AWARENESS, INTEREST, EVALUATION and DECISION purchasing stages - precisely where the 92% are choosing their suppliers.
Therefore, if we're not engaging (and by engaging I don't mean selling - I mean answering questions and offering expertise) with the 92% via our blogs and social media pages, can we really expect to attract their business? Consumers aren't stupid - they know how to find the information they're seeking - and if we don't provide what they want then they'll simply go elsewhere.
In conclusion, then:
Engaging with the 92% of buyers who begin their purchasing 'journey' on the internet - by raising awareness, piquing interest, encouraging evaluation and helping potential clients make the best buying choices - via our blogs and social media pages - is, I hope you'll agree, a no-brainer!
(*with thanks to insidesales.com's article dated July 2013)
Please comment - I'd love to hear what you think of this article - but more importantly, let's discuss what your company is doing to engage with the 92% who are forming buying decisions in the pre-purchase stages of the buying journey.
Oh, and please take a moment to answer the following survey question, too (will there be many yeses, I wonder!):