Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Getting Back to the Basics

August 4, 2020

With all the social media platforms and ways of connecting today, I’m constantly wondering what are the latest and greatest marketing strategies in the industry. What time should I post? How do I get more likes and shares? Does the content need to be revisited, again? Is our image the right one?

I’m sure every social media marketing department has had these thoughts rack their brains over and over again. In the past, marketing has typically been about collecting rather than connecting. Think about this, would you keep that friend that’s always asking for something? Are they really your friend? Or are you more likely to give your time and attention to a friend that gives back too? That’s why word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most effective forms of marketing.

User Generated Content (UGC)

Did you know that Millennials spend over 5 hours a day with content created by peers, in other words, user generated content (UGC). That’s over half of the average workday. Encouraging UGC creates a sense of community. I follow this coffee shop on Instagram, which always has content from their customers on their page. It’s funny that I already know I don’t like the coffee, but I’m always interested in seeing what customers will post next. It makes me want to give their coffee a third try! Third time’s a charm right? More importantly, I’ve found myself telling other peers about them and recommending them to others. This chain reaction and the “words from my mouth” are passed on to the next peer and the next.

An effective strategy in doing this is incentivizing the creation and sharing of pictures, videos, gifts, or even a free feature or tool. In addition, having a unique hashtag for your business is a great way to drive customer engagement resulting in brand awareness and increased social media traffic. Imagine the reach your business could be getting if just one customer posted a picture of a product or service with your unique hashtag on their Instagram with a 600 following base? The results could be incredible!

Products and/or Service Ratings

As a young woman in her early-mid 20’s, I know better than anyone that a visitor is more likely to buy when the website has ratings or reviews available. In fact, that is 63% of visitors. Over half! Could you imagine losing over half of your customers because your website lacks review/ratings? And more importantly, that they don’t trust you just yet! Providing your customers with social proof is essential in gaining trust, and mastering word-of-mouth marketing. By sharing customer reviews or ratings you empower your customers by validating that their opinions are important to your business as well as giving you another outlet to engage with your customers, and be a part of the conversation!

Go the Extra Mile

Ultimately, your business needs be offering your customers a unique, share-worthy marketing experience! Making sure your word-of-mouth strategies are credible, repeatable, measurable, and most of all, respectful. Going the extra mile and truly grasping these strategies seems basic, but can make all the difference in the effect!

 

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Interested in enhancing your word-of-mouth marketing? Connect with us at sam@johnlynchandassociates.com. We would love the privilege of connecting and serving you.