(Solved): Identifying Consumer Problems Using Online and Social Media Traditional methods of discovering cons ...

Identifying Consumer Problems Using Online and Social Media Traditional methods of discovering consumer problems have tended toward direct questioning of consumers. Today's online environment, however, can be seen as a potential goldmine for identifying consumer problems at both the tategory and brand levels by monitoring the "conversations" happening online. Sometimes those conversations will be happening on a brand's own online and social media outlets, as when a consumer tweets a company about a recent product failure. Sometimes these conversations will be happening in the broader social media environment, as when bloggers discuss product failures or general needs in a specific product area. Consider the following statements from Radian6, a leader in the field of social media measurement: 10 Problems, needs, and wish lists from your potential customers or your competitor's customers are being tossed out to the social web all the time. From product reviews to casual statements about what's not working right, consumers are giving you loads of intelligence about what problems they need you to solve. Tracking is not enough-responding to problems and concerns is a critical part of the whole package. That is, it is not enough to know, via postings on your brand's Facebook Fan Page, that there are problems with your newest software release. It is critical that those problems be solved in a timely and appropriate manner. Radian6's comments are informative here as well: [It's] about understanding how your business solves problems for people, and then connecting with them in a meaningful, helpful way when they need you most. It's not about a sales pitch. It's about creating a solution for someone that they're asking for. Sounds simple, right? Think again. Online and social media outlets (both the company's and general) are extensive. Imagine trying to monitor all of the conversations or "chatter" happening in cyberspace at any given time and filtering that down to usable information. One study by Forrester Reseacch notes numerous such venues including customer forums, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. And that's before you consider the company's website and e-mail. These options are a growing source of potential consumer feedback and input. The challenge is how to track, consolidate, interpret, and react to all of the online chatter. The interpretation part can be difficult particularly for non-brandspecific problems. It's easy to know when a customer is complaining that your software has a specific flaw; it's much harder to recognize those broader consumer needs that lead to truly breakthrough innovations. Though tracking specific types of key words can help, the interpretation process is still difficult and as yet not well understood. Platforms such as Radian6 - part of Salesforce marketing cloud (salesforce.com)-offer proprietary solutions to help companies through these and the many challenges associated with this form of consumer problem discovery. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What are some advantages of online and social media tracking compared to traditional methods? 2. In what ways might the viral nature of a given topic be important to marketers in assessing the importance of a given problem? 3. Do you see any ethical concerns related to this approach? Explain.