STRUGGLING TO FIND THE NEW TREND FOR ADV? BACK TO THE ROOTS

Think about the last time you recommended your favorite restaurant, clothing item, or other product to a friend. You probably shared it because you loved your experience. The same is true for your business-when customers love your brand, and they naturally want to spread the good word.

This enthusiasm for sharing is what drives word-of-mouth marketing (also known as WOM marketing, WOMM, or word-of-mouth advertising).

And that sharing translates into new clients because the people who hear your customers' word of mouth have a lot of trust in the word of their friends. So Word of Mouth could be your secret weapon for growing your business, especially since it's often free to use.

Although word-of-mouth marketing depends on your customers and fans, it's not out of your control. There are many ways to advance your word-of-mouth marketing strategy.?

In this new release of the AvidaLAB newsletter, you will learn everything you need to know about the power of word-of-mouth, from what makes it different from all other types of marketing to how you can use it to grow your business.

Typically, word-of-mouth is driven by an over-the-top positive experience someone had with your brand. Think about the last time you had a great dinner out or tried a cool new product that easily solved one of your problems.?

You probably couldn't resist sharing that experience with friends.

Word-of-mouth marketing stands out because of its high level of trust.

Typically, word-of-mouth recommendations come from friends, family, and others in someone's circle. When someone sees a friend or family member raving about a particular brand, they're much more likely to buy it. That's because peer-to-peer recommendations are considered especially valuable.

Word-of-mouth marketing benefits

According to a Nielsen report, 92% of people trust word-of-mouth recommendations from people they know more than any other form of advertising.

Word-of-mouth marketing means that your customers and other fans are essentially doing the marketing for you, at little to no cost to your business! They advertise directly to their network, usually in person or on social media. This makes word-of-mouth not only cost-effective but highly valuable.

Plus, thanks to social media, what someone shares can reach millions of people in seconds. And word of mouth doesn't just stop after one interaction - one person will tell another, and another, and another. With every share, repost, or retweet, word-of-mouth has the potential to grow exponentially.

Word-of-mouth statistics: How effective is this type of marketing?

These word-of-mouth marketing statistics prove just how successful it can be:

• 83% of Americans say that word-of-mouth recommendations from people they know make them more likely to buy a product or service.
• According to Nielsen, consumers are 4 times more likely to buy when referred by a friend, so word of mouth drives high conversion rates.
• When it comes to products they have purchased, 74% of people cite word of mouth as a key factor in their purchase decision.
• Marketers rate the quality of word-of-mouth leads at 4.28 out of 5.

What are the types of word-of-mouth marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing can be divided into two main types or categories: amplified word of mouth and organic word of mouth.

Amplified word-of-mouth is directly encouraged by your business through a marketing campaign. Within the campaign, businesses typically use some sort of reward to motivate this word of mouth. Amplified word-of-mouth strategies are also easy to track because they are tied to a campaign.

Examples of amplified word-of-mouth include

• Referral programs
• Affiliate programs
• Brand ambassador programs
• Influencer marketing campaigns
• Other customer referrals that you encourage with rewards
• Other campaigns and contests that encourage social media sharing

In contrast, organic word-of-mouth marketing occurs when someone recommends your brand naturally and without direct prompting from your business.

It is much harder to motivate and track. But this type of word-of-mouth isn't completely out of your control. It is usually triggered by an event that the customer experiences. Whether it's amazing customer service or a gift with a purchase, triggers set your brand apart from the competition and keep you top of mind. They also make for great buzz and organic word-of-mouth.

Examples of organic word of mouth include:

• Spontaneous social media sharing (user-generated content)
• Reviews and comments from happy customers
• Natural sharing of a product through any type of conversation
• "Dark social" sharing in DMs and private emails that don't have a tracking tag

6 word-of-mouth marketing strategies for any campaign (+WOMM examples)

With the right word-of-mouth marketing campaign, you can successfully create a steady stream of referrals and repeatable word-of-mouth for your brand.

Fortunately, there are many word-of-mouth channels at your disposal

1. Create triggers for word of mouth

Triggers are small cues that remind your audience of your brand, even without actual advertising.

Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger offers this example: When someone says peanut butter, what immediately comes to mind? Was it jelly? In this case, peanut butter acts almost like an ad for jelly.

This is the kind of association you want to create for your brand. A famous example is a KFC campaign that ran in Japan in the 1970s. Translated as "Kentucky is Christmas," it promoted a party barrel of fried chicken as Christmas dinner. The campaign was so successful that to this day, many families in Japan order Kentucky Fried Chicken during the holiday season.

Create your triggers by finding something your audience sees or does regularly. By associating your brand with it, you increase the likelihood that people will remember and talk about you.

2. Appeal to your audience

Like all marketing strategies, word of mouth works best when it puts your audience first. Think about what digital marketing content your audience would most enjoy - would it be an interactive contest, a behind-the-scenes video, or something else? By continuing to give your audience what they want, you'll be able to increase your social currency and generate word of mouth.

Social currency is all about reputation. People share what they think will make them look good to others because every share puts their reputation on the line. They'll only "spend" their social currency on your brand and spread the word about you if they think it will boost their reputation. So make sure you've created something your audience will love and think it's cool to share.

3. Provide value to customers

The brands worth talking about are the ones that deliver value. Whether that means solving a problem with your product or delivering an unparalleled customer experience, a customer who sees value in your brand will both stay with you and share your brand with others.

Providing value is also one of the best ways to earn a customer's goodwill. If you can provide value in a way that stands out, you may just earn a positive customer review, build brand loyalty, and maximize your word-of-mouth.

4. Tap into emotion

Emotional attachment is one of the biggest drivers of word-of-mouth marketing. If people feel strongly about a brand or product, they are unlikely to drop it, even if a more logical option comes along.

People are also more likely to respond to emotions. Whether it's something happy, sad, funny, or otherwise, they instinctively want to share it with others.

If you can create experiences that evoke positive emotions, your word-of-mouth efforts can go a long way. For example, consider how Always fought stereotypes and empowered young women with its #LikeAGirl ads.

And if your brand has a unique personality, it can be an emotional one, too. Use your personality for emotional appeal in a way that stands out from the crowd, and customers won't be able to stop talking. This works especially well when you're appealing to humor. Think back to Wendy's - they went viral thanks to their signature snarky, humorous tweets.

5. Tell your story

Creating a compelling story goes hand in hand with giving audiences what they want, providing value, and appealing to emotions. If customers love the "why" behind what you do-your mission and values-and that "why" is wrapped up in a story that's moving and easy to tell, they'll share your story with others.

One example is 4Ocean's story: they pull plastic out of the ocean every day to help marine life, and then recycle much of that plastic into bracelets and other products.

6. Create exclusivity

Making people feel like they know secrets or inside information is another recipe for generating sharing. Think about how Starbucks' "secret menu" drinks went viral on social media, and how In-N-Out Burger got people talking both online and offline with its own "secret menu" items (which were key to the brand's overall success).

But secrets don't just work for food brands. If you share new and exciting products with your most loyal customers first, or create a sale that people can only access with a code you email, people will want their friends to get in on the action. They'll tell their friends quickly, which means more buzz and more sales for you.

How do online reviews affect word-of-mouth advertising?

As we've discussed above, there are many ways to build word-of-mouth advertising. But one of the best ways is through positive customer reviews. A majority (90%) of people read reviews before deciding whether or not to visit a business, and 72% will only go through with a purchase after reading positive reviews.

Plus, good reviews help build your brand's social proof and boost your online reputation - both great ways to gain exposure and get more people talking about you.

Customer reviews also allow you to expand into other channels and platforms. Say a happy customer writes a review about you on Yelp. That review can then be searched and shared on other channels. You can share some of the best reviews on your own social media accounts, or even post them as testimonials on your website.

How to build word-of-mouth marketing on social media?

Stop collecting and start connecting. This is a key guideline for any strong word-of-mouth marketing strategy these days.

Sure, you can have millions of social media followers. But to effectively use social media platforms to drive word-of-mouth marketing, you need to be active and engaged.

That means providing valuable information, responding to comments and questions, and encouraging and sharing some of your audience's user-generated content (UGC).

The more connected you are with your followers, the more likely they are to become true fans and supporters. And what do true fans typically do? Share your brand with others and increase word-of-mouth in new markets that you may not have been able to reach otherwise.

Social proof and social media: Get others to show, not just tell

People decide what to do based on what they see other people do. If they hear someone talking about how good your product is, that word-of-mouth makes them more likely to try it. But when they see someone using your product in their everyday life, that social proof gives word of mouth an even bigger boost. And when your product is shared on social media, a lot of people see your product being used all at once.

Ambassador and influencer posts using your product, affiliate product reviews on social networks, and UGC images and videos from every customer showcase your product and inspire people to try it for themselves.

How is WOMM different from referral marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing is all about getting people to talk about your brand or company. It looks for the best ways to encourage sharing, often through general consumer interest or unique content. WOMM is all about spreading brand awareness to your audience. However, depending on the types you choose to focus on, it can be difficult to track and control.

Referral marketing is a segment of word-of-mouth marketing. It's common for word of mouth to occur naturally in the process of referring others. But at its core, referral marketing is a proactive way to acquire new customers that focuses on key objectives and specific results.

Referrals occur when someone who uses or knows your brand recommends it to others in their network, usually friends, family, or colleagues. As they share your brand with others, they generate word of mouth. But this referral is direct and intentional, not just casually mentioned.

Combining word of mouth and referral marketing

Most types of?marketing use word of mouth in one way or another. Referral marketing is no different. Word of mouth helps companies get new customers all the time – which is the main aim of referral marketing.

Instead of doing a mass shout-out, however, referral marketing allows you to get more personal.

Referral marketing is all about motivating individual customers to share a product or service with others they know, by offering incentives whenever these recommendations bring in first-time customers. In time, this type of marketing works to build customer loyalty and establish long-term relationships, both among existing and newly referred customers.

Referral marketing also allows you to monitor your conversions, engagement, and other metrics.

With a formal referral program, businesses can incentivize customer sharing and organize their entire referral process. The right referral software can also automatically generate referral links and track every step of the process so you know exactly where referrals are coming from.

Using referral marketing with other word-of-mouth strategies maximizes brand awareness and increases the chances of creating a viral sharing effect. By integrating different types of word-of-mouth marketing into your overall marketing strategy, you increase your chances of success.

To learn more about referral marketing, check out our referral marketing guide or learn essential referral program tips.

Other related word-of-mouth marketing terms

As an important business strategy, WOMM can be seen alongside many other marketing concepts. Here are some common ones you may come across:

• Buzz marketing: This involves getting key ambassadors or influencers to spread the conversation about your brand. It focuses on building viral growth around specific products or campaigns, usually using attention-grabbing techniques (e.g., videos, memes) and generating online buzz.
• Viral Marketing: This type of marketing relies on an individual's existing network to quickly spread information from person to person. This often happens online or through social media, with content so compelling that people can't help but share it with others.
• Blog Marketing: When used for word of mouth, blog marketing involves blog posts created by an influencer or brand ambassador. With a few strategic ads or sponsored posts, bloggers create content that quickly spreads to their followers, who in turn share it with their friends. By recruiting the right bloggers, a company can generate a significant amount of word-of-mouth through its content marketing.
• Social media marketing:?Thanks to hashtags and quick sharing, content created on social media can reach people outside of the original group of followers. And as we've seen, shared content is more valuable when it comes from someone people know and trust.

Wrapping up

Don't sleep on word-of-mouth marketing, because recommendations and referrals are powerful. People trust the word of family and friends. This makes them more likely to buy from you when their peers recommend your products.

The best way to use this to your advantage is to use several types of word-of-mouth marketing, including encouraging user-generated content, asking for reviews, and starting a referral program.

No matter what marketing tactics you use to generate buzz, it's important to apply basic word-of-mouth strategies: create sharing triggers, engage your fan base, provide value, and evoke an emotional response.