Word-of-Mouth Marketing

When our marketing agency meets with a potential client, we often ask about the importance of word of mouth advertising to their business. Not surprisingly, most business owners, managers & marketers consider positive word-of-mouth advertising critical to their business.

Surprisingly, however, we often get complete silence when we follow-up on our initial question and ask; ‘What have the other marketing agencies or advertising agencies you’ve worked with or are considering working with done or told you they will do to build positive word of mouth for your business, brand, products or services?’

Influencing Opinions & the People That Hold Them:

Considering the importance of Word of Mouth, why do so few advertising agencies talk about Word of Mouth Advertising — the oldest and still most powerful communication tool for influencing opinions and the people that hold them?

Why do even fewer advertising agencies… plan for and actually integrate Word of Mouth Advertising into their client’s overall branding, advertising, or website design campaigns?

Over the years, we’ve observed and learned that nothing beats Word of Mouth Advertising. Why? Because people trust personal recommendations more than any other form of communication.

Today, with the growth of social networks of like-minded people, Word of Mouth gets turbo-charged. Social networks and review sites, give customers the opportunity to amplify their opinion a thousand-fold.

To be clear, building a business by Word of Mouth doesn’t just happen. Building a business with positive, Word of Mouth Advertising takes planning and execution.

Word of Mouth Advertising: 5 Factors for Success

A pro-active Word of Mouth effort is not for the faint of heart… or for the faint brand. So… if you have the heart for it… and the brand to back it up, read on:

• An effective and efficient Word of Mouth effort requires a solid base of loyal customers. Why? Because Loyal Customers are more likely to personally recommend your company and its products to family, friends, neighbors & colleagues. Our research also shows that Loyal Customers are more likely to post positive recommendations online about your company and its products. Before we launch a Word-of-Mouth Advertising campaign for a client, we measure the company’s level of Customer Loyalty. If the Loyalty Metric falls below a certain threshold, we focus on helping the client address their Customer Loyalty issues.
• An effective and efficient Word of Mouth effort requires a well thought-out Strategic Plan of Action. Over the years we’ve observed and learned that the quality of your strategic thinking in this area can really drive a competitive advantage.
• An effective and efficient Word of Mouth Advertising effort requires a robust Customer Relationship Management focus. Please note: I did not say expensive… I said robust. We’ve helped many small companies, with a well-earned brand reputation, beat larger competitors with bigger budgets.
• An effective and efficient Word of Mouth Advertising effort requires a robust, working understanding of Social Media Marketing & Advertising. These are the advertising tools that change the old adage about a satisfied customer telling 3 other people and a dissatisfied customer telling 10.
• An effective and efficient Word of Mouth Advertising effort requires the capability and inclination to monitor and measure the performance of your Word of Mouth Advertising efforts. It also requires a couple of hours each month, from senior management, to engage in the Performance Review Process and subsequent action planning.

For More Help Leveraging Word of Mouth Advertising to Get More Customers:

For help designing, developing or deploying a Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategy for your business please call, eMail or use the marketing agency contact form on our website.

Good Luck &… Good Selling!