We are hearing so much now about how social media is creating a shift from ‘the wisdom of crowds’ to ‘the wisdom of friends’, but what does that really mean for brand advocacy? A lot. It’s this ‘wisdom of friends’ that brings a new “social power” to brand advocacy.
Social power (the ability to influence) used to be determined by who had the most money, was the most intelligent, or was the most effective at impressing their will on others, but that’s changing thanks to social media. Now social power comes through connections of friends, or the “wisdom” of friends, so Advocates have much greater influence.
Numbers still hold some power, and they always will, but the strength of connection is becoming even more powerful. Consumers care about reviews, evaluations and what other consumers say about your product, much more than advertisements… and that is great for a brand. What they care about even more is what their friends think about your product. One or two friends’ opinions — the “wisdom of friends” – carry more weight than many other opinions combined.