New Twitter research proves the connection between brand conversations and buying decisions

Brands invest a lot of effort in creating a discourse that will encourage consumer engagement, but to what extent does the discourse about brands and products on social media actually affect sales?

These are exactly the questions that also interested Twitter

Ditza Kern

07/21/2022

Thursday, July 21, 2022, 6:25 p.m. Updated: 11:05 p.m.

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Expert opinion and the Facebook group of the marketing channel in Vala (photo: photo processing, Yaron Other)

A new study by Twitter, in collaboration with the PUBLICIS research body, examined the effect that brand mentions within tweets have on actual purchases, in an attempt to answer the question of whether product discussions on the platform lead to conversion.

In the study, over 9,600 consumers from the US, UK, India and Mexico were asked, in order to determine how they perceive mentions of brands on social media, and what influence these mentions have on their purchasing decisions.

Consumers search for your brand on social media before they buy

One of the decisive conclusions from the study concerns the way consumers shop today, regardless of the type of product or brand, and whether the purchase is actually made online or in a physical store.

92% of respondents in the study answered that they actively looked for comments about brands, products or services on social media, before reaching a decision on one or another purchase.

It may sound trivial, but it is an unequivocal statement: if you want your brand to be noticed and bought from you, you must have a presence on social media.

Directly following this, 68% of those surveyed said that their impression of brands changed after they watched discussions about them.

This means that brand conversations are crucial in consumers' purchasing decisions.

The influence of discussions on the brand decreases as the customer progresses in the purchase journey

Another interesting conclusion that emerges from the study states that conversations about the brand have a greater impact in the early stages of the purchase journey.

While 71% of the respondents testified that brand conversations have a wide impact in the stage before the purchase decision, at a later stage this figure dropped to only 52%.

This means that people may be more influenced before they even understand their own set of considerations, and the more they understand the product and their need, the lower the impact of brand talk.

The study goes on to explain that a brand conversation, whether it happens at the initiative of the brand or at the initiative of its audience, can significantly influence purchase considerations at each of the stages of the purchase journey.

Brand conversations on social media are more powerful than website reviews

56% of respondents to the survey testified that brand conversations on social media have a greater or equal impact to that of reviews that appeared on purchase pages on the brand's website.

The reason here is quite clear: while the brand website is under the sole control of the brand, on social media it is much harder to fake reviews, and they are seen as more credible.

All of this highlights the power of a social media presence, and being available where your customers are looking for information.

If you've worked to cultivate a strong community and/or presence, it can have a significant impact on consumer impressions and, as a result, their purchasing decisions.

Positive discussions are more memorable than negative discussions

The most surprising and perhaps the most encouraging statistic in Twitter's research is that positive discussion on social networks is much more memorable to users than negative discussion.

In fact, only 49% of respondents reported that they remember negative brand conversations, compared to 86% who said they remember encouraging and positive brand conversations.

This means that even if there are negative reviews of your brand on social media, your customers won't remember them the way they remember positive reviews.

While Twitter can certainly be perceived as a negative space, people aren't necessarily looking for negative discussions or mentions, and while reviews and issues can still have a big impact on perception, creating a positive brand experience is more impactful than negative talk.

Another encouraging statistic is that while the content and sentiment of brand conversations clearly influence purchase decisions.

This effect is almost always in favor of the brand, with 3 out of 4 brand conversations resulting in more positive brand sentiment.

Conversations about social issues are important for purchasing decisions

Various surveys of Gen Z have found that consumers, and especially the young among them, prefer to spend money on brands that align with their personal values.

Companies that have found their "voice" have a significant advantage because they can take actions that match their brand values.

All this supports advice that is not new to anyone: businesses that communicate their vision, values ​​and perspectives are in a better place to leverage the conversation. Brand authenticity and credibility , as well as the people behind it, are just as important as the products it sells.

is a content writer at Vala! Marketing and Digital

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