The Power Of Customer Opinion

There's been a massive change in advertising over the course of the last 10 years. Television, radio, and traditional internet advertising has gone from a medium that attracted attention and intrigue, to a medium that actively repels it.

There are several reasons for this; the massive change in consumer confidence, the increase in advertising frequency and social reach, and the changing face of consumer communications and discussion networks. Advertising has gone from one of the most powerful influence and connecting tools to a remarkably less powerful, old media giant. While there are still many benefits of traditional advertising, they're getting less and less influential and valuable, as consumer interaction and opinion grows to dominated marketing and PR circles.

So, where did this begin? It all seems to have come together with the invention and refinement of online communications, particularly those that are design to offer public, unrestricted access to influential people and their thoughts. While in the 20th century, communications were based around big, invasive advertising companies and their large reach, 21st century PR and marketing is based around micro-opinions and ultra-niche markets and communities. While this has presented an uncontrollable situation for the big players, it opens opportunities for smaller marketers to control the discussion that their product attracts, and use it to create massive sales and marketing opportunities.

The big currency of marketing today isn't reach. It's trust. When access to all different types of information is equal, trust is the currency that can change an interested person into a customer, and convert a happy customer into an ambassador for your online product. While big companies are afraid of creating negative buzz online, and actively prevent people from speaking their opinions, the small, smart companies are developing solutions that allow them to market themselves through the voice of their users.

So, where does this help the affiliate marketer? Since customers value trust and honesty above all else, it allows marketers to create massive trust-banks that provide consumers with the confidence they need to buy from you. A product review website achieves just this. It builds positive buzz for a product, generates massive amounts of exposure and SEO possibilities for your business, and allows consumers to confirm their trust in you through an exte
al, non-biased source. Review websites are infinitely more valuable that sales copy, as one is viewed as biased and convincing, whereas the other is viewed as a valuable and unbiased piece of positive customer opinion.

So, don't become the marketer that endlessly sends their message to people that just aren't interested. These marketers undoubtedly get conversions, but they are few, unpredictable, and impossible to control. Become the marketer that generates buzz, builds permission assets, and creates massive amounts of interest in their product through powerful review websites and articles. That's the step towards massive, scalable sales success, and the step away from unpredictable and inconsistent product sales and returns.