The Power of Word of Mouth Advertising

Word of mouth marketing, which includes the sharing of recommendations and experiences with friends and family, continues to be the most effective form of advertising as more and more people turn to social media to share their life experiences with others in their network. The power of word of mouth advertising is growing every day, but many businesses fail to take advantage of it in favor of big budget ad campaigns that are ultimately less effective. Take some time to read this guide about the power of word of mouth advertising, and you’ll understand why it works so well.

What is word of mouth marketing?

The goal behind word-of-mouth marketing is to create a buzz about your product and company before you start any kind of conventional advertising. It’s cheaper than traditional methods and more effective in many cases. The idea is that satisfied customers will spread positive reviews on their own, rather than be cajoled into it through ads or big marketing campaigns. If a product solves a real problem, people will talk about it naturally because they want to share something good with others. The key to success here is creating great products that solve serious problems for consumers; once you have these things in place, spreading word of mouth can happen organically over time.

How to get started on word of mouth advertising

Some people may think that word-of-mouth marketing is something you only need to worry about when your business grows large enough, but it actually works really well as a small company. In fact, it’s one of the most effective marketing strategies out there. To make it work for you, you just need to make sure that your customers feel good about being advocates for your brand – and then provide them with some useful resources to get started. Examples could include How-to guides on how to promote your product or service; Tips on how to respond if someone asks about your product or service; A list of local influencers who are already talking about similar products or services; And more! Just remember: The more organized you are in providing these resources, the better results you’ll see from your campaign.

Tips for building your word of mouth Campaign

First, create an email list. Email marketing is an excellent way to encourage customers to share your content and inspire repeat business. Keep in mind that, if you don’t give your email subscribers a reason to opt-in (i.e., offers and promotions), you may face low conversion rates as they go to check out or place orders, creating even more difficulty for your word of mouth campaign. Second, set up retargeting ads through Google Analytics. Retargeting allows you to show ads to people who have visited your website before, but haven’t converted yet. The advantage here is that these people are already familiar with your brand and have some interest in what you have to offer—so it will be easier for them to click on one of your retargeted ads than someone who has never heard of you before. Third, use social media advertising tools like Facebook Ads Manager or Twitter Ads Manager. These platforms allow businesses to target their audience based on location, demographics, interests and behaviors using powerful ad types like carousel ads, video cards and mobile app install banners. Finally, get creative!

What are some examples of word of mouth campaigns?

Examples include Dove’s #RealBeauty campaign, Burger King’s kids toy giveaway and Red Bull’s Stratos Jump. There are countless more; word of mouth is simply about getting others to talk about your brand positively. You can create word-of-mouth campaigns in a variety of ways, but there are three main types: Rewards – Use freebies to incentivize customers to spread word of your product or service Free publicity – Reward influencers with access to events or special promotions Celebrity endorsements – Hire celebrities with large followings on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to endorse your brand online Can you create a positive experience for customers without paying them?: Yes. If you want customers to spread good things about your business for free, consider using these tactics: Make it easy for people to share their experiences with friends and family Offer incentives that make sharing simple Create an experience that makes sharing fun Encourage employees to share information about your business on their personal social networks (don’t forget those who don’t use social media!) Offer incentives that encourage employees to help promote company culture What tools do we have at our disposal today? Tools include blogs, YouTube videos, podcasts, photos shared through Instagram and Flickr, posts shared through Tumblr and Pinterest…the list goes on! If it’s easy for people to share information they find interesting (and/or funny), they will. The key is creating content that inspires engagement.

The Bottom Line

Word of mouth marketing doesn’t always require an ad budget or a complex marketing strategy. According to several small business surveys, most customers learn about new products and services through word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, family and acquaintances. In fact, these same surveys show that 92 percent of consumers trust personal recommendations over traditional advertising. Even if you’re running your own company with a tight budget, there are still ways to take advantage of free word-of-mouth marketing opportunities like networking and referrals.