Thank you, blogosphere.
A great article in Friday's Washington Post again told of major corporations getting ideas of what their customers wanted and didn't want, liked and didn't like, would buy and wouldn't buy from the blogosphere.
What a concept.
"Following online conversations is the latest attempt by companies to grapple with the growing clout of their customers," the article says. Customers, in theory, have always had clout. What they didn't have was an easy way to voice opinions to large audiences. Calling a "customer service" line often gives little satisfaction -- and sometimes makes things worse. Major companies could afford to buy millions of dollars' worth of commercial time to tell us how wonderful they were. Now, customers can rave or rant for a massive audience -- free of charge.
In our opinion, companies are wise to keep a finger on the pulse of the online conversation. Companies like Umbria are doing excellent work in this area, and we think this has now become a critical element of any market research program.
No matter how a company chooses to do it, listening to your customers and potential customers is always a good thing. What a concept.
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