DUKKY

Every time we log in, social networking sites inundate us with a flood of information, calls to action and advice. How do we decide which of it to take to heart and which of it to discard?

This is an important question for marketers, as we obviously would prefer that consumers not discard our messages!

Earlier this month, eMarketer examined the results of a study by Invoke Solutions that sought to pin down how social media users perceive advice they encounter online. The study found that people were more likely to trust information posted online when it came from people they know, rather than from brands or “independent” bloggers.

As eMarketer noted, the network the information was posted on made a difference, too. For example, 26% of people surveyed declared that they had “complete trust” in blog entries posted by people they know, while a slightly lower percentage, 23%, said the same about Facebook postings from people they knew. Interestingly, Twitter was the least trusted social networking site, even when the tweets came from friends.

However, no matter what the venue, the study participants were more inclined to trust information passed on by friends. Whether consumers blog, post on Facebook or tweet, social media means that everyone is now a potential influencer for their own friends and family. That potential for influence has always been there, of course, but now it’s easier than ever to use it.

In a post on the Web Strategy blog, Jeremiah Owyang examined the Invoke Solutions data and made the following recommendation for marketers:

Brands should focus on social marketing that harnesses the “social graph” which is getting friends to share with their own friends. By developing advocacy programs and focus on word of mouth marketing, brands can increase marketing and sales margins by getting customers to do the work for them.

Exactly!