Yahoo! Inc.'s Ron Belanger and Edwin Wong discuss the intersection of social media and search to an audience at the iMedia Agency Summit.

Ron Belanger, VP of agency development, Yahoo Search Marketing and his colleague Edwin Wong, senior market research manager, led an iMedia Agency Summit spotlight presentation on the recent findings of a new study, "Engaging Advocates Through Search and Social Media."

"Technology is changing the dynamics of word of mouth (WOM)," said Wong. "It's nothing new. It's been around for a long time, but the internet is acting as an amplifier to WOM."

Wong explained that the research found some consumers don't remember where they read about a certain product, or if they heard about it through a friend, but regardless an impression has been made in the consumer's mind.

"The volume of information is increasing, and now we have the experience of social media. You are seeing an evolution of WOM. Social media can influence product purchasing," said Wong.

An example of online social media influencing purchase behavior is seen when new mothers go online and form communities to ask about the best baby products.

Who matters?
Brand advocates are the opinion leaders, according to the Yahoo study. These online brand advocates also make up 35 percent of the online buying audience.

"Our research found that these advocates are leaders, have lots of friends and like talking about brands," said Wong. "These advocates are slightly younger, more educated and spend more time online."

In the emerging technology landscape, these online advocates have a lot of influence on building brands.

Wong explained, "These advocates are much heavier researches and often leverage up to five information sources. Marketers should engage with these advocates at these touch points." The touch points include brand websites, consumer review sites and blogs.

The Yahoo research also found that advocates are most likely to possess lifetime-loyalty to their brand.

"These lifetime-loyal advocates are more likely to talk about their purchases online, and they are more likely to share positive opinions," said Wong. "When you connect with an advocate, you are promoting a positive experience."

Creating awareness
The Yahoo senior market research manager turned to the automotive industry as an example of a vertical with many online advocates. Wong said that if you reach these advocates, you can "reach their friends."

According to a study by Yahoo and comScore research, 13.5 million people purchased a vehicle in the past six months in the United States. "If you connect with these online car shoppers and online car advocates, they in turn can influence their friends' purchase decisions. Therefore, connect with these advocates and you are actually connecting with more potential consumers," said Wong.

Targeting advocates' social media and search
The Yahoo study found that social media and search are a huge part of advocates' online time.

"Advocates are significantly more likely to search," said Wong. "They are heavy searchers-- on multiple search engines."

Wong explained that these advocates use social media to talk about their purchases and have wider social circles than average online users. These advocates become experts who will "megaphone" their opinions on products.

"At the end of the day, it's about helping people and sharing," said Wong, concluding the presentation. "The internet has amplified WOM, and we marketers have to engage with the advocates. Search and social media are woven into advocates' lives. We must join them and think about search differently. We must think of new ways to engage with these advocates and meet them there."

Roger Park is news editor for iMedia Communications.