由山姆· Flemming
这篇文章首先出版 Imedia连接

中国的媒介网络使互联网口头表达根本对所有市场交流战略。

最近互联网被驾驶的危机再次放互联网口头表达(IWOM)入聚光灯。 几个星期前，例如， Dior拉扯了以莎朗石头为特色从中国大陆的广告，在女演员作出了引起网民怒火的评论之后。

当这样事件展示细听的重要性IWOM名誉管理时，我建议这是一个许多原因听。 不应该仅观看IWOM作为一个威胁，而且一个机会为更好的行销和洞察。

下面是六个原因(在监测为危机之外)为什么品牌在中国应该听IWOM。
 
网民表达观点(由成千上万)
中国是独特的在世界因为它有非常主流，活跃网上消费者社区生态系。 非常普遍的布告栏系统(BBS)在产业垂直附近被组织包括汽车、移动电话、笔记本计算机，化妆用品和许多其他。 这些社区在成千上万能担当类虚焦点小组与参加者每个月表达用非常详细，未经请求，自然发生的观点。

品牌可能通过关键社区采取脉冲读，或者他们可以使用可能使用文本采矿和分析工具系统地做此的服务。 Either way, brands can get plenty of powerful feedback on user experience that can lead to better communication.

Netizens providing customer service online
More than just a place for random conversations, BBS forums are organized communities with a culture and leaders who have defined roles. As we wrote about here, one of the key roles in product oriented communities is that of the “answer person.” For example, in one Motorola E2 music phone community tracked by CIC, we used our technology to determine that one “answer person” wrote over 1,000 messages in one month mentioning the E2. The vast majority of these messages were answers for “newbie” questions. Such active communities with “crowd-sourced” customer service remove a potential purchase barrier for those considering buying the phone. It also provides a window for brands to see the types of problems that plague netizens, and new ways to fine-tune their online customer service.

This community power is the core of the trend of services in the West, such as GetSatisfaction, that build crowd-sourcing communities for brands.

Netizens expecting brands to be online
Considering that 91 per cent of netizens cite the internet as the preferred medium to stay informed about a brand post-purchase (see here), it is not surprising that brands are beefing up online support. As I predicted earlier this year,  some community platforms are enabling brands to offer support via IWOM. PCAuto for example, enables auto brands to set up expert communities where official brand representatives answer netizen’s car questions; the answers are then rated by netizens based on their usefulness. With IWOM, customer service becomes marketing.

Netizens inspiring marketing ideas
As I wrote last year, IWOM serves as a window to net culture which can inspire marketing by tapping into youth trends. For example, when Moto launched its Q phone at the end of last year, instead of looking to traditional spokespersons like Jay Zhou, or even net star spokespersons like the Backdorm Boys, Moto chose net cartoon star Tuzki.

Tuzki is a Hello-Kittyish rabbit icon that became popular as an avatar in IM programs like MSN. Since Moto was pushing using the MS Mobile OS, QWERTY keyboard phone as unique selling point, Tuzki was a natural fit and spread quickly throughout the internet.  For example, when we put “MOTO+??? (Tuzki) ” into a Baidu search, it yielded over 50,100 results. This is a good example of how a brand was not only able to integrate its product into internet culture, but was also able to successfully PARTICIPATE in online culture.

Netizens inspiring products
Vertical oriented online communities are filled with the most passionate, most informed and most opinionated netizens which come together to discuss products. These prosumers of course have ideas about how to improve products, which is why some brands systematically track and analyze IWOM for R&D and product development.

Recently, we found an example of Toyota Camry owners who were unhappy with the design of the standard issue key and separate key chain with remote control alarm and lock buttons. Instead of just complaining, they organized online to redesign the key and buttons all in one unit. Brands can mine for such inspiration, or they can identify the key communities and opinion leaders and formally activate them.

Netizens influencing purchase decisions
An iResearch study shows that more than 80 per cent of netizens use BBS to search for information on the product they plan to buy, and 62 per cent of users ask other BBS users for opinions before making purchases.

Traditional advertising is essential to develop awareness, but does little to really inform and influence purchase decisions. These consumer recommendations (and complaints) are published for millions of netizens to see, are archived by search engines, and are therefore an increasingly important “media” for brands to track and understand.

In short, brands can view IWOM platforms like BBS in three ways.

First, they are consumers talking about brands, products and services which can serve as a source of consumer insight.

Second, since this “talk” is published, it is a media which should be further understood in the way it influences consumers.

Finally, they are communities which, as we see with the PCAuto Expert Communities and Moto Tuzki examples, offer an opportunity for brands to participate as a form of communications.

Brands may be drawn to IWOM initially by one particular angle regarding IWOM (i.e., crisis), but clearly IWOM can be a key element of a broader marketing communications strategy.

Sam Flemming is CEO and co-founder of CIC.