About 3 years ago my friend started telling me about this new motorcycle (KTM Duke) that was coming into our country pretty soon. At first I didn’t read much into it, but after a little while I was curious so I started checking it out and took it for a test ride and the next thing I know I was walking out of the showroom with the keys to my new bike. I know for a fact that I have done more than my fair share of Word of Mouth marketing for my motorcycle’s manufacturer without them even prompting me to do so or even knowing about it.
Word of mouth is one of the oldest, simplest and most effective means of marketing communication – Tweet that. It requires little more than the physical presence of two or more like-minded people.
Why is word of mouth important?
Word of mouth is an easy way for your customers to be positive about your product or service. If you think about how the majority of people make their purchases it’s usually because of a recommendation from a friend or family member.
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Is word of mouth effective?
Any customer who is satisfied with your services or products is going to tell their friends and family members about it. They are likely to try it out for themselves and if they are pleased will, in turn, tell other people about it. It’s a little like a chain reaction.
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My company and its products/services might simply not come up in conversations between people, what then?
Word of mouth marketing is not restricted to solely oral communication. As all good things do it has evolved to be used across various platforms and modes of communication and mass media. There are, for example, entire channels on video streaming platforms dedicated to trying out products and reviewing them. In some cases even blatantly promoting said product/s.
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Alright, I’m convinced that it’s viable, but how do I get into the domain of word of mouth marketing?
To begin with, make sure that you are giving your customers a quality experience/product. Consumers that are happy with their purchases and or experiences are almost certain to want to tell people about it. The promotion aspect takes care of itself in a few ways. Think back to when you were a kid and you bought a toy and you really enjoyed it. The first thing you wanted to do was tell your friends about it.
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Will it help my company get the recognition that big ad campaigns offer?
Word of mouth has a way of being very cost effective, in that you don’t have to pay people to do it – Tweet that. Big ad campaigns take a large amount of capital and are not always effective and in some rare cases can even backfire. The only immediate downside to word of mouth marketing is that one customer or a user may have a bad experience and may offer bad reviews or negative word of mouth. This is fixed if the issue or problem that customer faced is addressed in earnest.
“A customer talking about their experience with you is worth ten times that which you write or say about yourself.” ― David J. Greer
