A recent survey by Cone Inc. found most Americans--81%--use the internet before deciding to buy recommended products or services to verify recommendations, specifically through researching information on products & services (61%), reading user reviews (55%) or searching ratings websites such as Consumer Reports (43%).

How does this affect you? Your customers are doing more research on you now than ever before. With the internet, it’s easy to get feedback, read reviews and research the history of a product or service. Effectively, more consumers are using the internet to make an 'end run' around traditional marketing methods.

Here at CorporatePA, we credit this increase in research to an corresponding increase in skepticism toward marketing.  Consumers are much more patient in making a decision these days, along with being a lot savvier to marketer’s tricks - which has prolonged the decision buying process. It’s our responsibility as marketers to welcome their skepticism and meet those needs of reassurance.  Personal recommendations alone are no longer enough to guarantee a purchase, as three-quarters of consumers agree they are more likely to purchase products or services when they can find additional recommendations about them online.

Especially among the younger generation (25 to 34-year-olds), online verification is vital; 91 percent will go online to verify recommendations before making a purchase and nearly the same number (90%) are more likely to purchase products or services after finding additional online recommendations.

So, if you take the time to put out additional information on your products or services through a strategic marketing plan, you can take that 90% and use it to your advantage. 90% of consumers are more likely to purchase if you provide them with  free information.

Online verification does take on a more crucial role for certain purchase criteria. For example, two-thirds of consumers will go online to verify recommendations about products or services they'll own for many years (66%) or those that have an unfamiliar feature (65%). Product claims are also fair game, as Americans will verify recommended products or services with health and safety claims (66%).

Online verification has become the deciding factor to drive consumers to that final purchase. Marketers who ignore this behavioral trend will miss out on a crucial opportunity to influence this final purchasing decision. Reaching influencers online is no longer a good thing to do--it is a must thing to do.