Recent research from agency Euro RSCG Worldwide posits that consumers may feel more uninhibited in their online interactions than in their offline lives. This makes sense: the computer screen and the four walls of home (or office) provide a barrier between the user and the people or companies with whom they connect online. It makes the user, for all intents and purposes, anonymous, and therefore, less accountable for their words or actions.
According to the research, this anonymity results in 20% of consumers feeling freer to “lash out about or at companies or their brands” online. In practice, this can translate into consumers who blog, tweet, or post on Facebook negative – sometimes scathing – reviews or ranting recounts of bad interactions with a company or brand. What’s more, groups of anonymous consumers can come together online over bad experiences with companies or brands, forming communities, creating websites, and contributing to blogs. That said, the same mob mentality can work in marketers’ favor – the Internet provides a meeting place for anonymous consumers to express their devotion to various companies and brands through “fan sites”, Facebook pages, and devotional tweets.
But when the online backlash seems to spiral out of control, marketers cannot stand idly by – they should be prepared to step into the fray. In trying to turn the discussion to more positive tenor, marketers cannot afford to ignore the importance of customers’ experiences across channels. Euro RSCG Worldwide’s research shows that three-in-four consumers make a distinction between online and offline interaction – and just as consumers’ online negativity very rarely stems from Web-based interaction alone, marketers mustn’t neglect the offline interactions as a component of their own offensive strategy. In other words, while bad offline experiences lead consumers to rant en masse online, delightful offline experiences can drive consumers to sing your praises on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and discussion boards.
Tags: communities, feedback