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Consumers Reading Blogs From Favorite Brands
by Jack Loechner, Monday, May 12, 2014 6:15 AM
According to a new survey, fielded by TNS and developed by WP Engine, 62% of Americans want to see content directly from their favorite brands. This was followed by tips on using a
brand’s products (44%), stories from customers like themselves (34%), and anything that does not blatantly “sell” a company’s products (18.6%). 96% of consumers do not want to
see stories about how celebrities use a company’s products. Highlighting consumer’s desire for original content directly from the companies themselves, nearly half of respondents
read the blogs of their favorite brands. The survey also shows that consumers prefer to read content directly from a company blog rather than a news magazine or website, want to see content directly
from brands, including articles on important issues (27%), research on the company’s industry (16%) and funny stories (12%):
- 46% of consumers say they read the blogs of their
favorite brands
- 48% feel that it’s important for a brand to include brand content on their blog to assure most up-to-date information (32%), and give brands a voice (15%)
- 40%
believe there are negative effects if brands do not provide content on their blogs to prevent losing communication with customers and keeping the brand more relevant
- 40% prefer to read
content directly from a company blog rather than a news magazine or website
- 52% prefer to go directly to the company website for content about the brand, vs. 25% going to social media and
22% to third-party articles
- 60% want to see content directly from brands, including articles on important issues (27%) and research on the company’s industry (16%)
Source: WP Engine, May 2014 In addition to consumers frequenting the blogs of their favorite brands, 48% of consumers said that it is important for brands to produce content on their
blog for reasons such as:
- It provides consumers with the most up to date information 32%
- It gives consumers a more personal connection with the company
16%
- It gives brands a voice 15%
Inversely, 40% of consumers said that there are negative effects if brands do not produce content on their blogs,
including:
- The brand loses communication with its customers 19%
- The brand may lose customers to its competitors 16%
- The brand looks
lazy 12%
- The brand becomes less relevant 10%
Even with the prevalent use of social media, says the report, 52% of consumers still prefer to go
directly to the company website for content about the brand while only 25% go to social media and 22% go to third-party articles. Additionally, women more than men were inclined to visit social media
sites for brand content (30% vs. 19%). The survey also found that 25% of consumers preferred to read content from brands in news article style such as the New York Times, followed by feature
article style like People Magazine (21%), short blogger style (17%) and a fun “listicle” style such as Buzzfeed (11%) Heather Brunner, CEO of WP Engine, opines “…
brands… stay relevant by producing their own content… even with various (additional) outlets… consumers still want to hear directly from the brands… gives (the brand) a
personal touch with their customers… (encouraging) more meaningful conversations… “ For
additional information about the study, please visit here.