The power of the blogosphere is something that even companies like Apple and Samsung can’t neglect. This is because there are powerful blogs and websites out there with millions of faithful followers and readers, and they hold the potential to cause a major blow to predicted sales of gadgets and tech products.
There are a lot of examples of such instances, with major ones coming in the form of tech giants like Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft’s Windows 8 sales continue to be below the predicted levels. There are an abundance negative search results about it on the web (a lot more than the positive ones). The comments on those search results and other forums show that those who were planning to buy Windows 8 changed their minds after reading negative content.
In case of Apple, the news of their Maps failure in Australia spread like fire across the web, and Samsung immediately pounced onto the opportunity with their own advertising (as if the negative publications weren’t enough already), taking away potential iPhone buyers.
The problem here is that the bloggers are talking to consumers directly. They’re providing examples that have been tried and tested, so consumers have greater incentive to listen to them. Bloggers use a set of multimedia tools (videos, screenshots, infographics and content) to have a substantial impact on buying decision of consumers. In fact, according to Brand.com, 72% of consumers surveyed said that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
How companies can overcome false reviews and poor reputation
Considering the example of Apple, they’re going to release the iPhone 5S and budget iPhone 5C. Reputable sources have already confirmed that they are planning to make the unveiling at media event on September 10th. Apart from the new iPhone models, they’re also going to release the iOS 7 publicly.
Now the problem for Apple is that their fierce rivals, Samsung, have already released their major handsets, and they’re counting on their new models to increase overall iPhone sales and market share. However, what if the new iPhone models get horrid reviews on the web?
While the iPhone 5S has a higher chance of succeeding, the picture of the budget iPhone looks uncertain. Apple has always been able to differentiate itself due to the quality of materials it uses in manufacturing the iPhone. In case of iPhone 5C or budget iPhone, it has a lot of plastic when it comes to the body, which can tarnish Apple’s image among its target segment and bring them in line with mediocre gadget makers among the web.
Google has also made it clear on its official blog that big companies like Apple and Microsoft as well as medium and small sized gadget and tech companies can reduce visibility of negative information about their products and services by publishing positive content proactively. The best approach is to provide information that’s useful for real users and hasn’t been published to trick search engines.
Gadget makers should focus on reputation management just as much restaurant owners. As the number of internet users continues to grow every year, people are becoming increasingly dependent on online reviews to educate them, so companies with more positive reviews and better reputation across the web will enjoy greater market share and sales over competitors in the upcoming years.
How The BlogoSphere Affects New Gadget Sales
