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92% of people more inclined to buy from company using social media

November 21, 2012

Need any more validation that social media has woven into the fabric of our society?

92% of people are more inclined to purchase from a company that makes use of social media channels. For 67% of people, Facebook is their preferred social media channel. This from Accenture Interactive (@AccentureSocial) in a study released this week.

Consumers are also willing to trade privacy for relevancy and value being conveyed through multiple social media channels.

When asked to make a choice, 64 percent of respondents say it is more important that companies present them with relevant offers against only 36 percent who say companies should stop tracking their website activity.

Per Baiju Shah, managing director of strategy and innovation for Accenture Interactive,

It is clear that consumers are demanding a more individual relationship with retailers and in the emerging ‘forever prospect’ model of retailing, that means service and product experience can be more critical than price. Consumer marketing needs to address the current disconnect between offline and online shopping and enhance the physical store front with tailored digital experiences.

What does social media and consumer shopping have to do with law firms? Everything.

At the very heart of the service our profession offers is a relationship. The attorney – client relationship.

People, whether consumers of legal services or retail consumers, are demanding a more individual relationship with their provider. The relationship can even be more important than price.

Sure, attorneys nurture relationships in traditional ways, including the best way, face to face. But with social media feeling comfortable to so many people, consumers of legal services, including in-house counsel and executives, are going to build and nurture relationships with those lawyers who use social media effectively.

In time, consumers of legal services will be less inclined to use those lawyers and law firms not using social media. Not because they hold it against those lawyers and firms for not using social media, but because they simply won’t feel the engagement, trust, and relationships that social media fosters.