Avoiding the road not taken: Understanding the pet product consumer’s journey in a social media world

The customer journey has always been fraught with danger, and the still-growing prevalence of social media has riddled the path from initial urge to final decision with land mines, distractions and forks in the road. It takes some tough, informed decisions for a consumer to end his or her journey in a satisfying place: with a purchase that meets needs as well as desires. It’s a scary journey for them on some level, and when beloved pets are involved, it becomes even more daunting. They want to get it right in a financial and emotional sense. They need guidance, and it’s up to marketers to use social media to the get the consumer where we want them to go.

For a marketer, providing this guidance has always been complicated. Our indirect influence needs to be precise, appear trustworthy and provide satisfaction. Keeping consumers on our preferred path – i.e., getting them to do what we want them to do, our subliminal (or overt) call to action – was a complicated goal back when there were only three television channels and distractions amounted to, uh, looking out the window. Now, everyone has constant access to infinite windows open in their browser and multiple browsers on multiple devices at any given time. Keeping consumers on the right path is nigh impossible. Getting them to start down the right path is even harder.

The explosion of social media hasn’t made our task any easier. Or has it? We now have infinite ways to speak directly to our customers, and when an audience is passionate, as pet owners tend to be, that direct connection can truly resonate. But which connection? And how best to use it? A marketer has to make as many, if not more, choices than the consumers on this fabled “customer journey.” So how do we make the right choices to impact their choices when it comes to social media?

How social media affects the pet care customer’s journey

The good thing (and the bad thing) about social media is that it’s a constant presence in everyone’s life. It’s a constant, real-time presence on the customer’s journey. I.E., it’s a constant distraction. It’s a two-way street; customers can interact with brands like never before, but they can also investigate brands like never before. Its easy to use social media to influence an audience, but it’s just as easy for competitors and dissenters to use it. It’s a sword with many edges, but that also means it’s a potent weapon.

Here’s the important thing: Everyone uses social media, and when it comes to pet owners, we mean everyone. A recent survey by Mars Petcare U.S. shows that 65 percent of pet owners post about their pets an average of twice per week. Sixteen percent said that they post more than four times every week. And a small percentage (the truly passionate 13 percent) said that they post more about their pets than their own families. Seventeen percent of pet owners have created social media profiles specifically for their pets – not only can a brand speak directly to Ser Pounce’s mom; they can speak to Ser Pounce. That’s a power we’ve never had before.

You know that personal delight you feel when (if) you get retweeted by a celebrity, brand or person of influence? Now imagine the pride you’d feel if your child was retweeted. Now imagine the incredible flush of accomplishment you’d get if the online voice of your beloved goldfish was retweeted by his “favorite” brand. It’s a small, weird thing to be proud of, but it’s also an incredible feeling. And that feeling is a powerful thing to have control over. As marketers, we do, because now when a pet parent investigates a brand or product, they already have a personal connection whether they meant to or not.

More than a tool; it’s a relationship

Because of all these factors, the marketing power of social media is growing. Consumers are researching and buying products using social media in a variety of ways throughout the decision-making process, and they now take it personally. Social media offers a platform where consumers can share information, research opinions and make educated decisions about your products, services and overall business in real time. And they care more, because of the stakes for their pets, and the visibility of their actions to others in their social media circles, and their connections’ visibility to them.

A Forrester study shows that while more than 85 percent of customers use social for discovery and consideration for purchase, 81 percent initially gained awareness of a recent purchase via the activity of their social connections. Significantly, 43 percent report that their purchase was influenced by a company’s social post when shopping, and 30 percent indicate they were influenced by paid social ads. So while personal connections have a huge impact on decisions, marketing has a very vocal and direct impact. That’s more comforting than a purring Siamese!

The purchase is not the end

A purchase is no longer the end of the buying journey. It’s not just about the transaction; it’s about the experience. People want a relationship with their brand, they want to share their opinions and they want their complaints to be addressed. And, because their voices are louder than ever and easily shared, an individual consumer has more influence than ever.

As marketers, we’ve never had it better. While the consumers’ journey can be a many-branching path, we have an incredible opportunity to provide the maps and guideposts that will safely lead them where they want to go. And where they want to go is where we want to be.

Next: Building a strategy to harness what we’ve learned