If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either in the digital marketing or SEO fields and are familiar with the concept of word of mouth marketing (WOMM). If you’re not, here’s a short guide to explain what it is and why you should care.

WOMM Defined

The exact meaning of Word-of-Mouth Marketing varies from person to person, but generally it refers to the act of getting customers to share their positive experiences with your product or service through social media. When someone likes or recommends your product or service, you’ve just gained a potential customer who may go on to become a valuable part of your sales team or growing business.

You may be wondering why you should even care about WOMM, and here’s a good explanation. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of consumers prefer to learn about products and services from people they know and trust. Furthermore, 82% of consumers say that hearing about positive or negative experiences with a product or service influences their decisions. In other words, if a customer trusts your analysis of an industry or product, they’ll more likely trust your recommendation about that same product or service.

If you’re running a business, marketing department, or organization, you should care about word of mouth marketing because it’s proven to be a very effective tool for marketing.

Why Should You Care About Word of Mouth Marketing?

Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective and trusted ways of getting the word out there about your product or service. Here’s a short list of some of the advantages of this type of marketing:

• It’s Free
• It’s Immediate
• It’s Personal
• It Works
• It’s Untraceable
• It’s Scalable
• It Has An Impact
• It Engages Consumers
• It Can Be Measured
• It Works For All Products

If you’re in sales, you should care about word of mouth marketing because it can help bring in more customers and grow your business. If your target audience trusts your reviews and opinions about a certain industry or product, they’ll more likely trust your recommendations about that same product or service.

Here’s the thing though, you can’t simply look at the benefits of word of mouth marketing and think you’ll reap the same rewards. To fully understand and realize the power of this type of marketing, you’ll have to do your homework first.

How To Effectively Utilize Word of Mouth Marketing

Now you know what it is, and why you should care about it, let’s dive into how you can put this powerful tool to work for you. Here are a few tips from HubSpot Blogs research that can help you gain more ROI from your word of mouth marketing efforts:

• Focus On The Product More Than The Marketing
• Focus On The Industry More Than The Product
• Measure The Effect Of Your Marketing With Analytics
• Determine Your Target Audience More Than You Think
• Use Long-Tail Prowords
• Avoid Over-Automatization
• Find Your Voice Through Humor

It’s easy to get distracted by the latest marketing fad or gimmick and lose sight of what’s actually working for you and your business. Sometimes the best course of action is to step back, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate your current strategy and tactics. This is especially important if you find yourself struggling with low engagement or interest levels on social media channels. 

If these numbers aren’t moving in the right direction, it may be time to re-evaluate your approach and try something new. The good news is you can always find inspiration and learn from the best marketers and SEOs in the industry, who are more than happy to share their expertise with you.