Partner Article

Word of Mouth Marketing

Even though this is an age that is characterized by technology it seems that many companies out there still rely on word of mouth in order to get more and more clients. For instance, there are many people still that will turn to their families and friends when it comes to purchasing something and they will seek out their recommendation. Due to the fact that word of mouth referrals are free, people cannot actually be the ROI that a positive referral will generate

Even though there are cases when successful word of mouth marketing chains will start on their own, people should not assume that the phone will just start ringing off the hook. The fact is that when it comes to any marketing tool which is successful, including this one, there is a great amount of patient and proactive approach involved in order to make sure that the right message will get to the exact people who need to hear it.

For those who have enough money to spend for brand advertising this is something that’s really worth investing in. Yet even though people don’t really have a great marketing budget, they can still spend on branding, incorporating and improving the way word of mouth works in their campaign.

A quick example: there are certainly many people who can remember the Faberge Organics shampoo commercial which was aired in the 70s. Even after so much time this commercial is still a prime example of how powerful word of mouth marketing can be. If brands learn how to actually use this kind of marketing effectively, they will be able to make a lot more money and get to also increase their client base quite a lot.

Plenty of very powerful brands nowadays like Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Harley Davidson and of course Apple, have all been built on the power of word of mouth referrals. In order to start the ball rolling, none of these brands actually had to spend a lot of money on advertising. All of these brands actually relied on the consumers who tried their product to actually preach how great it was to their families, friends and so on. Taking a look at the track records of these companies, they did really well. Even though in the present these companies do spend a lot of money on brand recognition, they all started with a small budget.

Companies like Starbucks for instance managed to harness the power of word of mouth marketing because they had a brand that is rooted in the wants and needs of their customers and at the same time by offering value every time. So basically, it’s more than offering a product, it’s offering a product and also an experience. For those who would like to consider word of mouth they should first of all ensure this is a concept well understood in their organization and how to use it effectively. There is also the ripple effect each company needs to be educated on before using this effective marketing technique.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Brown .