Word-of-mouth marketing is not just one person talking to another about a product, now with the internet there are other methods of getting the same benefits as traditional word-of-mouth, but online.
The best types of word-of-mouth marketing are in the form of old school (person to person) word-of-mouth marketing, customer success stories, reviews, and sometimes, unpaid influencer marketing.
Using these forms of marketing can boost your brand's equity, and ultimately sales.
Simple – people trust other people more than brands. Most consumers have the perception that brands will do “whatever it takes” to make a sale, even if their product is not right for you as the consumer. This may be correct for some brands and others not, this is why word-of-mouth marketing is so important, as it gives consumers insight into the real-life experiences other consumers have had with your brand. It is a cost-effective and transparent way to boost your brand.
Sometimes you will get natural, old-school word-of-mouth where a consumer tells a friend or family member about your product/service. You might never know that they do this thus, it is imperative that you produce good quality in all areas – products/services, after sale service and all customer communication. Be kind and know that the customer is always right, you never know who they will tell about their experience with your brand.
If your brand provides a well-known brand with goods or services that satisfied a need that brand had, it is important to use the opportunity as marketing material. Write up the story from beginning to end of how your brand assisted the other company/the consumer to fulfil a great need, along with attention-grabbing graphics and a campaign to promote your brand and you are ready to go. Make sure you get permission from the consumer/company to create the campaign and tag them in all your material.
Word-of-mouth marketing sometime happens without you as the brand doing anything, but when you would like more of this type of marketing it is not always easy to get consumers to take part. When it comes to reviews it is important to prompt a customer, especially if you know they are happy with the products/services you provided them with. A simple email or phone call can encourage the purchaser to help support your brand. If you had a previously unhappy customer who posted a negative review but you have since rectified the issue, it is important to ask the customer to please reconsider and rewrite their review. ONE BAD REVIEW can cripple a brand so make sure you try everything you can to rectify it.
Some influencers make their money by reviewing products / services online, which allows other consumers to get a second opinion on a product / service they are not sure about. Many people run YouTube channels that just review products and services that they can either test / have knowledge on. How to get ahold of them? Tell them you will send them a free sample / they should come in for a free service offering if they review your product / service online.
Downfall? These influencers have no obligation to favorable review your product/service, so make sure you are confident in a good review before you take on unpaid influencer marketing.
-Geena Kolbé, September 2020