How Social Networks Influence Consumer Behavior

Ask ten people about how to make Twitter work for a company and you’ll likely get ten answers.  But, as Lynn Miller of OrganicMania said to me recently: [laughing] “There’s really no science here.”  And while there’s no science, the tenets of classic consumer behavior may shed some light on the why.

I teach consumer behavior and use the text book Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy.  The book tells us:

…even in an individualistic society like America, group membership and identity are important to all of us.  And while we don’t like to think of ourselves as conformists, most of us conform to group expectations most of the time.

There are a couple different types of groups that influence consumer behavior:

A reference group is a group whose presumed perspectives or values are being used by an individual as the basis for his or her current behavior.  A reference group is a guide for behavior in a specific situation.  There are different types of reference groups depending on the strength of the social tie.  Primary groups, typically family and friends, involve lots of interaction and strong ties typically wield considerable influence. Social media networks are considered secondary groups and typically invlove relatively weak ties and less frequent interaction.  The curious thing is that members “groups” or online communities as they are also called actually can interact quite frequently and as such can take on the attributes of a primary group for some users and thereby wield significant influence.

This phenomenon is supported by research that indicates that online communities engender a sense of community that moves beyond mere interactions to include affective or emotional attachment.  Also the social structure of online communities follows a typical pattern: More experienced members serve as experts and leaders and newer members seek advice and information.

How to use this information to your advantage? As a business owner, you have the opportunity to become an experts and leader for people interested in what you sell, make or do.  You just need to find a community that has an interest in what you do and then provide expertise and insight on how to integrate it into common lifestyle, values and interests. In other words, building an online social network on Twitter or Facebook is an excellent way to create a community for your consumers. And it doesn’t really matter what business you’re in.  If you have customers and you can figure out their common interest, you can create a following.

Photo: Robin Utracik at sxc.hu