Everyone believes they come up with their own ideas for entertainment, knowledge, and happiness, but many times that new “discovery” is via an external source. With the always-on aspect of the internet, it appears all knowledge and information is at your fingertips.

It is common today for people to research products and services they do not know much about, and make a buying decision based on that research. This means that the best chance of selling that product or service is based primarily on the positive result of their research. How does a brand lead a positive influence loop to interested consumers?

Many times people type in keywords into a search engine like Google or Yahoo. If they know the product name itself, Amazon is the most used review site. Consumers must filter out the fake reviews in their head, of which they are trained to be skeptical of 50% of all reviews either positive or negative. Relevant information is consumed, and a decision gets made. Many times the “Like” button is pressed, which allows the person’s Facebook network weigh in on a potential purchase.

What causes one to look up “double rainbow”? More often than their best friend, the most common influencer on a daily basis is co-workers or those who are in close proximity to the consumer. While the true friends influence life’s big decisions, many times the Facebook friends or the acquaintance network is the main purchase influencers for consumable non-durable goods.