What is word of mouth marketing and why is it so important?

Word of Mouth Marketing (also referred to in this blog as WOMM) is the act of a business trying to get consumers to actively talk about their brand, product or service that they offer. It also refers to the act of the consumer talking about the product and sharing their own experiences with the brand, good or bad. Word of Mouth is extremely important and arguably one of the most influential forms of marketing there is. A high percentage of marketing executives believe that it has proved to be the most effective form of marketing.

Every business, big or small, should utilize and learn from, word of mouth marketing. It is
important to note that the word of mouth experiences that are being shared about your business may impact your business. Because it may not always be something that you can ‘see’ take place, you should think of ways to spark good word of mouth marketing by ensuring the customer has a great experience with your company. Many consumers may choose to only talk about their experience with your company in a personal way and not take it to an online outlet such as leaving a review or sharing about it on their social media.

You can develop a Word of Mouth Marketing Strategy that will suit your specific needs
and help to achieve your goals. An example of how to start out a good WOMM strategy is to offer good customer service from the moment a consumer enters into contact with your business. Whether that is a physical storefront, an online store or website offering products or services, your social media accounts, etc. there are ways to make it a welcoming environment that will kickstart a good experience for the consumer. Customer reviews are also a great opportunity to utilize WOMM. The more positive reviews a product has, the more likely it will convince a new consumer to use the product. You can encourage and create good opportunities for customers to leave reviews. Think outside the box of ways to set your brand apart, this will spark organic word of mouth from your customers.

Where word of mouth was once only achieved in face to face interaction, it has now
expanded to the online world. With this, brings an increased chance of both positive and
negative word of mouth experiences about your brand. Writing reviews online and sharing about your experience on social media is as easy as clicking a button. This is why a business should be aware that every point of interaction with their customers is important. Though experiences with a company or product can be shared online or in person, know that Word of Mouth thrives on a level of trust. Hearing about an experience with a business or product from someone you know will be more effective than reading about a company online.

Developing a strategy that works towards Word of Mouth Marketing is important. Here is a good resource to learn more about WOMM and strategy examples that you can utilize for your business. Thank you for joining us on the Rancher Profiles blog today!