Bloggers as Purchasing Influencers

Earlier in the week, in Honesty in Blog Product Reviews, we talked about the proposed amendments that the FTC is considering which brought into question blogger product reviews. Let’s consider just how great that influence is on consumers’ purchasing decisions.

As blogging became more mainstream and credible, the concept of web log suddenly morphed into more of a blog-like magazine. The tone stayed the same in most cases, but the content got more serious, more useful and more frequent. What began as one consumer simply sharing a random product experience with other consumers quickly ballooned into established and trusted bloggers being sought out by advertisers to frequently provide reviews on their blog.

A recent workwithoutboss.com post noted an Opinion Research Corp. stat that, “84% of Americans say online reviews influence their purchasing decision.” Also noting that Rubicon Consulting found that, “online reviews are more influential and come just only next to word-of-mouth publicity.”

Interestingly, 10% of respondents said articles published in a magazine/newspaper influence strongly while 20% are influenced strongly by online reviews (and 35% for word-of-mouth). Somehow, the medium of online reviews is more trustworthy despite its lack of federal regulation? Or maybe the tone is simply more conversational, more real? With magazines dying left and right and magalogues (magazine-catalogue hybrids like Shopper’s Drug Mart’s Glow) living on, consumers are even less confident that the products on those pages are there because they’re the best and not because they’ve been placed by advertisers who’ve paid in one way or another.

Pending FTC regulations could change the landscape a bit; however, the personal, one-on-one feeling you get when reading a blog will ring true despite having to disclose any relationships with advertisers. In fact, it might just strengthen the trust between blogger and reader.

The focus will lie more heavily on forums and comments as a means of generating conversation around a brand. Careful management of these venues and vigilent response time will be key factors in managing your brand. Damage control isn’t what it used to be. It’s not about eliminating unfavourable reviews, it’s about responding to them.

Image: Stock Exchange