Having worked in marketing with Bulwark Exterminating, Thomas Ballantyne has gained first hand knowledge of online media and the customer's ability to influence consumer perception.

1. Pest Control Guy
www.BulwarkPestControl.com

3. ?
There are a
Plethora
of views on
social media.
I would hate to think you
are using it without
understanding what it
means.

4. #SearchEx
Phil Buckley

5. BUT WHY IS
SOCIAL
IMPORTANT
TO ME?

6. #SearchEx
The beginning of social media…

7. Cavemen – Humph
Word of mouth, Cave ART
Scholars – Written, Print
AT&T – American Telegraph and Telephone
Mass Media – Radio, TV
Digital Media – BBS, Internet, Email
Online Socializing – Groupies, Chat, Think
Tanks, FB, Twitter, Youtube…
……..And then came the buzzzzz word Social Media
#SearchEx

8. When you share content, how do you typically share it?
(select all) *CMB Consumer Pulse 2010 (n=1391)
Email - 86%
 Facebook - 49%
 Telephone 25%
 Mail 9%
 Print out 7%
 Twitter 4%
 Blog it 3%
 Linkedin 2%
 None of these 1%

10. Understand so you…

11. Fun – DaMentals
72% share because
they find something
interesting or entertaining,
much more than thinking about what
recipients might value (58%)
*CMB Consumer Pulse 2010 (n=1504)
http://www.cmbinfo.com/cmb-cms/wp-
content/uploads/2010/09/Social_Sharing_Research_Report_CMB1.pdf
#SearchEx

12. POWER OF

13. #SearchEx
The power of social media
lies in it's ability to shape
customer perception.
– Thomas Ballantyne

14. #SearchEx
Toyota CamryChevy Malibu
$17,499 $19,499
1/3 Buy Based on Price
1/4 Buy Based on Price
(Cars sold per year) 250,000 x $2000 = $500,000,000
2004 Case Study by J.D. Powers
These two cars are mechanically and
fundamentally the same but GM loses…

15. #SearchEx
How is this perception earned?
By User Experience.
By WORD OF MOUTH.
Don't be a
commodity.
Don’t compete
on price.
Perception is
reality.

16. #SearchEx
Story of Duncan
Before YELP..
Travelling salesman becomes Pioneer Food Critic.
Writes book for friends.
Adventures in Good Eating (1935)
Lodging for a Night (1940)
Adventures in Good Eating at Home
(1950s US Newspaper Columns)
…Sharing recipes he collected from restaurants.
Becomes Original Content Scraper
Duncan Hines Bread (1952)

18. Those are stars.
Two Stars?
Review stars.
Someone isn’t
happy with you.
That’s CRAP!
I’m a super HERO!!!!
WTF?!!!
Try reaching the reviewer
and fixing it.
I don’t need this drama.
Why did you bring me into
this?
Well you are Spiderman,
and that’s relevant to me
(pest control guy)…
And I think its funny.

19. #SearchEx
WARNING: This influences buying habits

20. #SearchEx
Thisiscontentproducedbyconsumers

21. •Serve the most relevant results for the users search query
I want to
“BUY RUNNING
SHOES”
Reviews with Verified Purchase
Thanks Brian McDowell and Conductor for slide.
Reviews in SERPs
influence
perception.

22. Ebay Users with
Higher Ratings Sell
More and Sell for
Higher.
#SearchEx

23. Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted
-- nearly 12 times more –
than descriptions that come from
manufacturers,
according to a survey of US mom Internet users
by online video review site EXPO.
eMarketer, February, 2010
Why Do Online Reviews Matter?
#SearchEx

24. WHY DO ONLINE REVIEWS MATTER?
According to GE Capital Retail Bank’s
second annual Major Purchase Shopper
Study, 81% of consumers go online before
heading out to the store, up 20% from last
year. (July 2013)
http://retailingtoday.com/article/study-81-research-online-making-big-
purchases
#SearchEx
71% say they read online reviews before making a
purchase. (baazarvoice.com)
85% say they read online reviews for local businesses.
(Brightlocal.com)

25. #SearchEx

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( denial )

27. Consumer perception of your brand.
Brands don’t own their brand message anymore.
Understanding Social Media can help brands guide consumer conversations.

28. #SearchEx

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Let’s TIE this all together
Use social media to build:
T- Trust
I- Influence
E- Engagement

32. #SearchEx