What is word-of-mouth marketing?.... As we face tough months of curfews, isolation and economic misery …. Part 135

Word-of-mouth marketing is STILL number one. Yet very few business owners intentionally use it.

I know, most don't believe it makes a big impact, but it can make or break your business. Just look at the impact that negative talk about a business can have and how fast it spreads!

Word-of-mouth marketing (or word-of-mouth advertising) are the actions taken by a business to motivate others to spontaneously talk about their products, services, or brand. Word-of-mouth marketing also refers to the actions of those who are sharing their experiences and recommending others on your behalf.

What does this mean for your business? Customers are essentially doing marketing for you! They are promoting straight to their network, usually in person or on social media, which makes word of mouth not only cost-effective, but highly valuable.

Word of mouth is usually triggered by an event experienced by the customer. Whether it’s an amazing customer service or a free gift with purchase, triggers set your brand apart from the competition and keep you top of mind. Plus, they make for great talking points and organic word of mouth.

Remember the last time you experienced something and just had to tell your friends about it? It might have been a new restaurant or shop that just opened, or the latest gadget you’re starting to use. Whether you’re talking or tweeting about it, this excitement to share is what drives word-of-mouth marketing.

Whereas word of mouth used to be limited by the number of places you went and people you physically interacted with, times have changed.

Now, thanks to online and social media, what you share can reach millions in mere seconds. And word of mouth doesn’t just stop after one interaction – one person will tell another, and another, and so on. With every share, repost, or retweet, word-of-mouth marketing carries the potential for exponential growth.

But where WOM really stands out is its high level of trust. According to a Nielsen report,

Means when someone sees a friend or family member raving about a particular brand, they’re much more likely to buy.

These days, 64%of marketing believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. And while we’ve all heard about word of mouth marketing effectively use social media to drive user word of mouth marketing and experience it on a regular basis, there are still many ways to further your word-of-mouth strategy.

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 you have to be active and engaging.

This means providing valuable information, responding to comments and questions, and even sharing some of your audience’s user generated content.

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

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensure discussion or debate. 

Thank you …Create triggers for word of mouth

Triggers are little cues that remind your audience about your brand, even without any actual advertising. Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger gives this example:

What immediately comes to mind when someone says peanut butter?

Was it jelly?

In this case, peanut butter acts almost like an advertisement for jelly.

This is the type of association you want to create for your brand. One famous example is a KFC campaign that ran in Japan in the 1970s. Translated to “Kentucky for Christmas,” it promoted a party barrel of fried chicken as Christmas dinner. The campaign was so successful that until today, many families in Japan order some Kentucky Fried Chicken when the holiday season rolls around.

Create your own triggers by finding something your audience sees or does on a regular basis. By associating your brand with these, you increase the likelihood of people remembering and talking about you.

Like all marketing strategies, word of mouth works best when it puts its audience first. Think of what would appeal best to your audience – an interactive contest, a behind-the-scenes video, etc. By continuing to give your audience what it wants, you’re able to add to your social currency and generate word of mouth.

Emotional attachments are one of the biggest drivers of word-of-mouth marketing. If people feel strongly about a brand or product, they are not likely to drop it, even if a more logical option comes along.

People respond more to emotions, as well. Whether it’s something happy, sad, funny, or otherwise, they instinctively want to share it with others. So if you can create experiences that result in positive emotions, your word of mouth efforts can go a long way.

Want to add word or two?

Word-of-Mouth Marketing Works:

Social Currency

Triggers

Social currency relies on the idea of exclusivity. In short, we like to feel special.

Hearing about an underground club or secret menu item triggers our need to belong to an exclusive group.

User –generated content is voluntarily created and shared by everyday consumers, while word of mouth is the organic sharing of information or opinions about a product, company, or brand, from one consumer to the other.

One powerful type of user-generated content is reviews – and getting customers to write reviews is one way to facilitate the spread of word-of-mouth marketing.

When potential shoppers read reviews, it builds customers trust by showing them that a verified customer offers their endorsement of your brand.

Your comment ….? 

Strategy

Successful implementation of word of mouth campaigns can’t be accomplished via cookie cutter tactics.

There is an inherently creative element to the process that must be artfully and uniquely applied to each brand.

As I mentioned earlier, word of mouth promotion tends to incorporate two key components:

Create something buzz-worthy

Encourage the buzz

In other words, word of mouth promotion doesn’t simply attempt to get people excited about a business’ logistics, daily operations, or profit model.

The key to a successful word of mouth marketing strategy is to either identify something about a brand that can generate organic buzz OR create something that will generate that buzz.

DialogTech

The Future of Going Social event, where Suzanne Fanning of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) gave us her expert outlook on what businesses of all sizes need to know about word of mouth marketing, with some excellent tips that you can use to improve your relationship with your customers. We thought we’d share the highlights here.

Social is the Future

Remember when people said social media was for teenagers and nothing lasting would come of it?

Well, they were wrong. Obviously. At this point we all know that businesses that don’t acknowledge the power of social media are destined for mediocrity. But the future gets brighter and brighter: according to a recent report by CMO Survey, one fifth of a business’s marketing budget will go toward social in the next five years.

Why is this so important?

Because, according to Nielson, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other communication.

Fanning pulled up the Edelman Trust Barometer and let us see for ourselves: consumers are more likely to trust other consumers these days.

At the top of the list are friends, family, employees, etc.

At the bottom?

CEOs, text ads, display ads, banner ads you get the picture.

 So what do smart marketers do with this information?

They get social and focus on word of mouth.