Word-of-Mouth still Powerful

Seems everyone is going social, we’ve even blogged about three success stories this week and there are tons more… but as a marketer, you can’t ignore the old-fashioned word of mouth and the value that it brings to the consumer.

A couple recent eMarketer articles have talked about the importance of the world’s first marketing medium, their Trust Word-of-Mouth article highlights three recent studies – all showing that advertisers aren’t highly trusted by consumers and that those who could influence were family and friends. Also included were statistics on the type of purchase – i.e. restaurant recommendations were near the top of the list, electronics and groceries were also part of the scope. A related article, Whose Word-of-Mouth Matters?, adds to the first – essentially showing that Word-of-Blog is less persuasive as compared to the advice of friends.

So as a marketer it’s important to play toward the social side of marketing – make it easy for your recipients to post content on their social media profile, recommend purchases to their friends and family. Consider the same for your product review, a simple forward feature to pass along what you wrote to your closest contacts. This strategy combines current trends while helping you reach to the recipient’s immediate contacts. Also consider a friends/ family viral campaign to help your recipients get use to the idea of sharing your content with others and never forget great customer service… that’s the best way to get the endorsement.

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