When it comes to finding gift ideas, social media now rivals word-of-mouth and store advertising as a source of inspiration for shoppers, according to a new survey of 1,035 U.S. adults from Research Now’s consumer panel conducted by ConsumerSearch.com, part of The About Group, from October 8-12.

The ConsumerSearch.com survey found that 65% of respondents said they rely on word-of-mouth to come up with gift ideas, while 64% said they consider advertisements, emails, and retailer Web sites. That compares to 62% who said they turn to social media, including user reviews and online wish lists, as well as a variety of content on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Online reviews were far and away the most popular source of gift ideas, consulted by 41% of the U.S. adult online population.

Overall, in terms of their preferred method for finding gifts, 37% of respondents said they conduct online and offline research equally, while 24% said they prefer to research and shop online, and 17% said they prefer to research and shop in stores.

Carey Rossi, editor-in-chief of ConsumerSearch.com, noted: “Retailers have begun using social media more to reach shoppers with deals and information and we can expect this trend become even more popular over the next few years.”

Read Full Article

We learned that no one likes to be sold to, but everyone likes to feel appreciated. For example, thanking our webinar attendees with a Starbucks gift card—“Hey Jane! Join us for the webinar, and coffee is on us”—proved to boost in registration and attendance by an astounding 50%! And in our follow-up emails we would say, “Thanks for joining us! How was your coffee?” and link to a trial download or an ebook. We saw the highest click-through rate of all email campaigns. Why? Because we capitalized on an emotional trigger, motivating prospects to move to the next level.

Gifting is a great way to boost event registrations, evaluations, demos, assessments, and consultations. It is also a great way to reward referrals and customer advocacy.

What makes gifting effective across such a wide range of campaigns? Here are three powerful reasons why gifting will increase engagement and transform your campaigns:

1. Response Rates and the Art of Motivation

Think about the number of invites and offers you get every week. I get at least a dozen interesting offers from the marketing community and vendors. But, like you, I’m busy and can’t do it all.

Your customers are in the same boat—bombarded with offers. A great way to get them to slow down, click, and fill out yourform is to present them with a thank you gift. Or even better—a donation to the organization of their choice.

2. Empathy Builds Goodwill

Even in today’s noisy, digital landscape, one old-fashioned concept persists: goodwill.

When you build gifting into your campaigns, you’re saying: I respect your time. Empathy pulls the emotional levers that turn a cynical prospect into an engaged opportunity. It builds the goodwill for an attendee to request a product demo or start a conversation.

In the webinar example I provided above, follow-up emails become conversation starters: “Thanks for joining us! How was your coffee?” This simple question compels people to reply. Even if they aren’t ready to buy, the conversation still begins, and they remember your act of giving. Therefore, you’re on your way to building trust and goodwill.

Read Full Article