Ask Your Customers, The Downside

There are many missed opportunities to engage and communicate with your customer regardless if you are a start-up, hospital, retailer, etcc…  As noted in the previous blog there can be great upside when engaging in brainstorming and improving your product.  But there can be a downside as well in how and what your customers will communicate.

The Billion Dollar Obama Holiday Present?

Listening to NPR the other day there was a passing comment regarding the relationship of the US economy to consumer confidence – about 2/3 of the US economy is directly connected to consumer spending.   Not news in itself but with confidence in Bush at an all time low what could be the potential economic impact of Obama just winning the election.  Some of the data is pretty surprising.

Internet Primary Research Resource for C-Level Executives

A recent studyconducted by Ipsos looks at how C-level executives are adopting and accepting the rapid evolution in media.  The Internet is now the leading point of information for researching a business problem, a fact that should come as no surprise given that the vast majority of the population already does, including 90% of traditional media.  What is surprising is how many do not recognize or use the Internet to its fullest potential. 

Majority Of Online Shoppers Check At Least Four Reviews Before Buying

Very interesting article in Online Media Daily about consumer buying process.  Key Concepts:

• Vast majority of consumers using the Internet use research reviews before making a purchase.
• Consumers prefer “peer” reviews above “expert” reviews.
• Reviews appear to be more important than other features like video or personalization.

89% of Reporters Finding Story Ideas on the Internet

According to the Arketi Group 2007 Web Watch Survey, 84 percent of journalists say they would or already have used blogs as a primary or secondary source for articles. 100% of those (journalists) surveyed say they rely on the Internet to help get their job done. One-quarter of journalists say blogs make their job easier, while 18 percent say instant messaging makes their job easier. Mike Neumeier, principal of Arketi Group, says “In an era exploding with user-generated content, social media, and Web 2.0, it’s important for those in business-to-business communications to understand how journalists are using technology…”Ninety-seven percent of journalists surveyed say they enjoy using new technologies. And 30 percent of journalists say they use some type of instant messenger for professional communication.Sixty percent of journalists say they spend more than 20 hours a week on the Internet.