ACCENT Marketing Research Emphasizes the Value of Understanding the Evolution of Customer Engagement and Today's Consumer

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to new research from ACCENT Marketing, the key to a successful customer engagement strategy on social media is to understand how Facebook, Twitter and other social channels are used by consumers. ACCENT Marketing Services LLC, a leader of multi-channel customer engagement solutions, today announced findings from its 2014 Survey "Customer Engagement and Today's Consumer".

ACCENT Marketing's findings show brands need to understand how the roles of customer engagement are evolving from a toll-free number and emails to multiple social media channels.

"Our goal was to connect with consumers to discover their preferences for engaging with a brand," stated Roger Huff Director, Social Media & Digital Strategy for ACCENT Marketing Services. "The survey findings prove that brands need to pay attention, anticipate consumer's needs, and create natural conversations across all channels, especially social media."

Key findings in the report also include:

• 72 percent of consumers only want to interact with the brand when they comment on social media channels.
• 82 percent use Facebook to speak with a customer service representative.
• Two thirds of consumers use Facebook to find good deals and promotions, including 80 percent of Baby Boomers.
• More men (34 percent) than women (25 percent) use Twitter to speak to a brand they have purchased a product from.
• 75 percent of Millennials find it helpful when other customers/followers respond to a question or comment posted on a brand's social media channel, compared to 55 percent of Baby Boomers.

"Consumers behave differently across channels and if brands are going to create engagement that drives customer loyalty and builds brand advocates, it's increasingly important for CMOs to understand their customers' behavior on varying channels," said David Norton, EVP Customer Analytics and Insights at MDC Partners and Chairman ACCENT Marketing Services. "To be a part of the conversation, CMOs need to have a social strategy in place to build a trusted relationship with their consumers and within their social community, ultimately creating a lifetime of engagement on social channels and in person."

To better understand the habits of today's changing and empowered consumers, ACCENT Marketing surveyed more than 1,000 consumers throughout the United States. The company looked at how consumers seek information from brands across social media channels, in addition to engaging with a brand, which channels are believed to be the best way of communicating with a brand, and the power of being a part of an online community.

For more on the findings of the 2014 "Customer Engagement and the Modern Consumer," download the full report at: www.accentonline.com/socialsurvey

About ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC
ACCENT, a member of the MDC Partners Network, is a leader in multi-channel customer engagement solutions for brands that need to maximize their ability to engage with consumers and influence behavior, while generating a better return on their investment across all touch points including phone, online and social media channels. For more information, please visit www.accentonline.com.

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SOURCE ACCENT Marketing