Real-Time Search: Where is the value?
- August 18, 2009
- by Paul OConnor
Real-time search has been a hot topic amongst online aficionados of late and it is no wonder.
Twitter has exploded onto the scene over recent months with phenomenal growth thanks to, in no small part, celebrities like @StephenFry and @KevinSpacey who like to post regular tweets. The voyeur in each of us likes to see what people are up to in the most personal sense and Twitter provides the direct link that TV interviews and magazine articles cannot give us.
Beyond the voyeuristic aspect, we can now look for likeminded individuals in real-time using Twitter’s search functionality. Thinking of going to watch Brüno tonight? Have a look through the Twitterverse first to see what others think before parting with your cash.
We have also observed the more serious impact of real-time ability to keep abreast of current affairs, too. From the outbreak of swine flu and the Iran elections to the death of Michael Jackson we have heard the very latest via personal updates posted on Twitter. The major news networks now consider Twitter a credible source of information and, going one further, Sky News have appointed a Twitter correspondent @RuthBarnett.
It is this as-it-happens environment that has proved so popular with users globally and, as with many mushrooming technologies, businesses are now appreciating the value of social search, too.
Business and Pleasure
Ian Jindal makes a fantastic point in July’s issue of ‘Internet Retailing’. Businesses now need to start thinking of their customers as an interview panel. With each marketing campaign you are persuading them for a job; their valuable custom. If you fall short then they will look elsewhere.
The difficulty with businesses has always centred on understanding the perception of their brand. When brands approach customers directly for feedback they often miss out on the thoughts of the middling majority. Respondents to a direct question are always more likely to produce a skewed result as there is already a psychological reason that makes them want to respond in the first place.
However, going great guns pushing yourself and failing to listen can result in customer’s opinion spawning an almost cult-like disdain for your brand. Think back to the popularity ‘We Hate Starbucks’.
Very recently Habitat was subject to a #fail of mammoth proportions. The Habitat incident caused so much upset amongst the public that the blundering team behind their Twitter account issued a formal apology. For those who aren’t aware of the incident; Habitat used hash tags related to the iPhone, Masterchef and, most distastefully, the troubles in Iran in order to promote themselves on Twitter. Any users searching for the latest news on the troubles would have been greeted by plugs for Habitat’s spring collection.
Unintentional or not, this was poor form and the online community made their thoughts known.
Although this is an extreme scenario it serves to make the point on the value of real-time search and why brands need to listen to the public.
• What are people saying about your product?
• Would they recommend you?
• If not, why not?
Real-time search gives businesses the same voyeuristic insight that attracted the public to Twitter in the first place.
Simples!
Creating a corporate identity within the social sphere will allow you to see real-time the impact of your marketing efforts and the general perception of their brand through valuable and often vitriolic posts whether they are from existing customers commenting on customer service or potential customers who are amused by an ongoing viral campaign. In a great tie-in with TV activity Compare the Market has created a Twitter account for eccentric Meerkat Aleksandr Orlov who has 21,199 followers.
This level of consumer engagement will keep you front of mind when it matters. This is evidenced in the Google Insight graph below:
In proportional terms the interest uplift for the core Compare the Market brand is well above the growth in the Meerkat domain. We see in April that there is a marked dip after the initial frenzy of activity but moving into July we see that there is a steady uplift which suggests the level of affinity that customers feel towards Compare the Market since the activity occurred has increased.
A Piece of the Puzzle
Increasing numbers of companies are cottoning on to the idea of real-time search as a commercial concept across all manner of sectors from retail, telecom, magazines and media. It is another piece of the puzzle to encourage consumer interaction with your brand. This isn’t about the hard-sell. Indeed, I challenge you to hard-sell in 140 characters or less. Instead it is about letting potential customers know that you are listening and will take heed to their thoughts.
It is this very concept that harks back to the voyeuristic draw of real-time and it is what will ensure your brand has the competitive edge in future.
1 Comment
DIGITAL MARKETING MATTERS
Keith Jordan
Interesting blog post, Paul. Unfortunate about what Habitat did latching onto the Iran crisis. Possibly a good idea about latching onto general current affairs though. But I imagine the click through on such things would not be as high as targeting your own market and related search terms?