Word-of-mouth

Is it possible to have a strategy for word of mouth marketing?

Word of Mouth marketing is not only the most effective but it is also the hardest to control.

Naturally, you can’t control what people say about your company behind your back however, you can create a few tweaks and plans in order to ensure that when people do talk about you, it is only the good stuff.

Once upon a time, word of mouth marketing only included chatting between family and friends, now however, due to the presence of social media, word of mouth marketing has taken on a whole new scope.

In a matter of seconds your customers can tweet, snap a selfie or check in to your business or store and share it with hundreds, even thousands of followers.

Word of mouth marketing has definitely been driven by social media and our constant desire to be connected online, which is why it is more important than ever to maximise its effect on your brand.

Here are 5 ways you can maximise your word of mouth marketing strategy:

1. Identify and target your influencers

An influencer is someone who is active on social media or on a blog and is able to promote your message or brand. They are often considered an ‘online celebrity’ and have a large following of dedicated fans.

The reason an influencer is often more successful at spreading the word about your brand than your brand itself, is because people are more likely to trust them. Studies have showed time and time again, that online consumers trust third parties more than they trust a brand.

 

A good example of this can be seen with the brand Dettol, which is an antiseptic. The brand was struggling to grow in the Asian markets and people were not responding to their TV or radio ads.

The company then decided to reach out and send samples to 4,000 influencers, that is, women who had “Mummy blogs” and were trusted among their readers.

After sending the samples, within just five months brand awareness increased 5 times, purchases doubled to 42 percent and sales increased by 86 percent.

These amazing results prove the power of reaching influencers and how it can help spread information even faster than traditional ‘word of mouth.’

2. Stay Active in the Community

In order for people to talk about your brand you have to be present within the community and center your brand in places that your demographic dwells.

For example, the beverage brand Red Bull is always attending music festivals and events in an effort to promote brand awareness and get people talking.

In fact, Red Bull has branded cars and even branded uniform that reps wear as they hand out samples and freebies. They also have sponsors and host shows and performances to get their demographic engaged.

All of these practices not only help to build brand awareness but they also encourage people to start talking about the product and getting to know the product better.

Even if the product is just a can of drink, when you meet a rep and see the brand “in action” it helps to make it more personable and gives your fans something to talk about.

Another example of a word of mouth campaign that is effective in a community setting was conducted by Vail Resorts, a popular place to ski.

The company created a mobile app that connected skiers with their networks on the mountains. Through the app, skiers were able to track their location and how far they skied. They were also able to share achievements and images.

At the end of the trial period, the app was used by 15 percent of the guests and generated more than 35 million social media impressions.

That was 35 million impressions that they didn’t have before, proving the power of offering the right type of platform for your consumer community.

3. Customer Service

It goes without saying, for your consumers to recommend you and stay in touch with your brand, you have to offer customer service that is too good to not talk about.

Studies have found that companies that focus on creating a strong customer experience have more word of mouth referrals and higher retention rates.

Studies have also shown that existing customers are more likely to make a purchase compared to new customers, so with that fact alone, there should definitely be a strong pull to customer retention.

While it is hard to get people talking about good customer service, it definitely will not go unnoticed by your fans.

Another way to capitalise on your good customer service is to allow people to leave a review or testimonial after their experience with you. This way, others can also read positive reviews about your brand or service.

No one can deny the power of word of mouth marketing. By following these strategies and developing some of your own, you can very quickly turn your brand into the most talked about business on the street (all good stuff of course).