New Media Influence (Part 3) JupiterResearch, BuzzLogic Survey Says Blogs Influential
Brian Solis over at Bub.blicio.us had a good post today on a new study that found some consumers are more influenced by blogs than web search. Solis writes, “BuzzLogic partnered with Jupiter Research to spotlight evolving consumer behavior and decision making processes and how blogs influence and factor into consumer purchases.”
Read more of Solis’ take on Bub.blicio.us.
The study aimed to uncover changing behavior around blog discovery and consumption, how blogs factor into consumer purchase decisions and the nature of blog influence on buying behavior.
The results, according to BuzzLogic, suggest frequent blog readers (defined as consumers who read blogs more than once per month) use blogs as the top online navigation tool to discover other blog content, ranking higher than general Web search or blog search.
MEDIAdeluge:
According to the study of more than 2,000 online consumers in the US:
- Links are more powerful than search: For frequent readers, links beat search as a navigation tool: 38 percent said blog links were the top tool for discovering new blog content as compared to 34 percent who voted for Web search.
- Links signal trust: For frequent readers, blog links appear to have similar impact as a trusted recommendation from a person (a response from 39 percent of survey participants).
- Blog search not yet mainstream: Blog search engines received the lowest ranking from respondents: 6 percent of general readers and 11 percent of frequent readers say they use these tools to discover new blogs.
Buying Behavior: The Nature of Blog Influence
- Blogs influence purchases: One half (50 percent) of blog readers say they find blogs useful for purchase information.
- Blogs sway more purchases among readers than social networks: More frequent blog readers say they trust relevant blog content for purchase decisions than content from social networking sites.
- Niche focus ups influence factor: For those who have found blog content useful for product decisions, more than half (56 percent)said blogs with a niche focus and topical expertise were key sources.
- Blogs go beyond tech: Outside of technology-related purchases, for which 31 percent of readers say blogs are useful, other key categories include media and entertainment (15 percent); games/toys and/or sporting goods (14 percent); travel (12 percent); automotive (11 percent); and health (10 percent).
Blog readers also replied around blogs’ influence as it relates to the following steps of the purchase process:
- Decide on a product or service: 21 percent
- Refine choices: 19 percent
- Get support and answers: 19 percent
- Discover products and services: 17 percent
- Assure: 14 percent
- Inspire a purchase: 13 percent
- Execute a purchase: 7 percent
The study also suggests ads on blogs spur a number of activities:
- 40 percent of blog readers have taken action as a result of viewing an ad on a blog; 50 percent of frequent blog readers say this is the case.
- Top activities include:
- Read product reviews online (17 percent)
- Sought out more info on a product or service (16 percent)
- Visited a manufacturer or retailer website (16 percent)
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