How Social Media Influences Consumer Buying Decisions

Last week I had gone to Miami for a much needed vacation. While laying on the beach, I found myself searching on Google for food in the area – and then it hit me – my entire trip had been planned on the basis of the social media presence of each hotel, restaurant, car transportation service, etc…

But why? Considering I had lived in Miami 4 years back when I attended school there, I never thought I’d need to do research on restaurants and major hot spots when I returned to visit. Seeing how things change so often nowadays, I found myself on my phone each and every day looking for where I wanted to eat that night, as well as where I wanted to go out following that. What sites did I use? Aside from the obvious Yelp for reviews, my main concern was going to each business’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Why in the world would I care about a Sushi restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram page you ask? It’s simple – communication. Word of mouth is hands down one of the most effective marketing tools for any business, only now we look for it on social media pages rather than from a stranger working at the concierge desk in your hotel. As a typical consumer, when I see updates on social media pages such as constant tweets and Facebook posts, it shows me that the business is proactive and cares about its reputation, as well as its past and potential customers. In addition, while I’m on the Facebook page I’ll look for how many people visited, how many stars the restaurant has, as well as scrolling down the page for dinner specials and menu item pictures. When a restaurant, or any business for that matter, takes the time to interact with its community online and consistently provides fresh content on its social media pages, it gives me the perfect idea of what to expect when I go there. As a result, I’m rarely disappointed. Check out some examples of a few restaurants’ Facebook pages I looked at before choosing to go with the obvious choice in North Miami Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the choice was obvious. Not only did the “Alert, Alert” comment stand out to me, but the fact that the page hasn’t been updated for over 3 years wasn’t a good sign! The lack of attention to this restaurant’s social media page not only showed that the owner doesn’t care about their business’ reputation online, but it also made me question if this place is even still open for business! One look at this page and the decision was easy for me. Happy to say I made the right choice.

Takeaways…

It’s safe to say that social media influences my buying decisions as I’m sure it does with tons of people every day. My whole trip including hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, events, etc, was based solely on a business’ social media presence.  I literally did not go to one place that had a poor social presence. In 2013, about 65% of smartphone users had went on their phones to shop. That number has increased since and will keep increasing due to the amount of information we have available at our fingertips. My recommendation to all business owners: create a social media page, update it with fresh content daily or weekly, and certainly make sure you are reaching out to the community of people which you serve. Remember, just because creating a Facebook page won’t bring in 100 new customers for you instantly, doesn’t mean that it should be deemed unimportant. The goal is to increase your businesses’ brand exposure and communicate with a surplus of current and potential customers.