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The oldest trick in the book? The importance of word of mouth marketing
Jim Brown | 22.06.2020
There’s always new ways to market your business. With the rise in digital marketing and its ability to track interactions, it’s no surprise that some traditional practices can be pushed further down the list.
After all, who doesn’t like the idea of using a shiny new marketing tool to get noticed by being the first to use it?
Pairing newer methods with some of the older, tried and tested ones is a perfect way to balance your marketing performance and amplify the reach of your business.
And the saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ most definitely applies when it comes to the power of word of mouth marketing.
But what is word of mouth marketing?
In its most basic form, it’s a method of promotion where satisfied customers tell other people about how much they like a business, products and service.
This could be through physically having a conversation with someone or through things like social media/review websites. Think of the snowball effect – each happy customer can steer dozens of new ones your way.
So why should you include this as part of your marketing toolkit?
- 88% of people trust online reviews written by other consumers1 – Put yourself in your client’s shoes. How many times have you gone to book a holiday and looked at review sites like Tripadvisor to check what real guests have felt about the hotel?
This is the same when it comes to your business. If a client has left you a good review it can encourage others to come to you. Don’t forget to host testimonials or case studies on your website, or encourage your clients to leave a review if they’ve had a good experience.
- 92% of consumers believe recommendations from family and friends over other forms of advertising2 - People trust in people they know, and referrals between family and friends are essentially free PR. And who doesn’t like free stuff?!
- 61% of people have recommended a local business to someone they know via word of mouth3 - To echo the above, it’s a really cost efficient way of getting your business out there.
- 57% of consumers will visit a local business website after reading a positive review4 – So make sure your website is up to date and your contact details can be easily found.
After all, you’ll have done the job of driving someone to your website so you want to make their user journey as efficient as possible.
- Word can spread like wild fire – With word of mouth, it doesn’t just stop with a single interaction. One person will tell another, who will tell another and so on, like a continuous chain making it a great vehicle for exposure.
Bear in mind though, this obviously applies to negative experiences too so make sure you’re always giving the best possible service to your clientele.
By making sure you establish a connection with your clients, they’re more likely to help your business grow.
And they’re more likely to remember you, which can keep them coming back time and time again.
1 https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing/#word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics
3 https://referralrock.com/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics/
4 https://referralrock.com/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics/
