People Trust Blogs. However…
Of course, it would not sound surprising if I told you that you trust opinions of people you know more than opinions left on blogs or social networks. Even though people are spending time online more than ever, we still prefer to trust the opinions of those who we know well and who we trust.
Mintel research showed that people are more likely to believe the opinion they hear from their family and friends. More often, when buying a product or a service, US residents base their choice upon the recommendations of their relatives of friends (nearly 35%) and opinions from their wives/husbands (25% of the interviewed). Only 10% of them follow the recommendations left on blogs.
However, advertising on blogs may have not only direct influence on users’ choice. Blogging about the product or service build’s awareness about the product, constitute the credibility and provoke the buzz about the business. These factors have very positive impact on the following product/service promotion and sales. Moreover, social media advertising campaigns stimulate so-called word-of-mouth advertising.
In outline, it means that is highly possible that your friend’s opinion you trust and will follow was actually based on the information he/she received through blogging.