In my spare time there’s nothing I like better than get up (or is it down?) and boogie with my band. It’s great fun and we all get to live the rock star fantasy life for a few hours. Recently we played at a local open-air charity event and I was a little perturbed when after our set we were approached by two policewomen. Had we been too loud? Not loud enough? Did the audience want their money back?
It turned out the officers liked us so much they wanted to get our contact details to pass on to some friends who were planning a party. Now if this isn’t ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’ in its purest form I don’t know what is.
WOM, to give it its acronym, isn’t particularly new – marketing professionals have known about its effects for about fifty years – but new forms of communication such as Twitter and viral are harnessing its power as never before.
Apparently most of it is done face-to-face (or in my band’s case, ear to ear), with phone, email, texts and blogs also providing conduits. It’s really no more complicated than someone recommending or being critical of a product/service/experience, something we all do in everyday conversation or if we’re asked ‘do you know a good garage?’ etc. Generally people are more likely to pass on positive experiences, although credit card companies, private health insurance companies, airlines and providers of TV and internet services are much more likely to be knocked than praised.
According to consulting firm McKinsey & Co, as much as 67% of consumer sales could be influenced by WOM. Marketers shouldn’t rely solely on the traditional media but in McKinsey’s words “create waves of communication that spread from a small number of lead users through consumer-to-consumer interaction.”
As a marketing professional I am always ready to investigate new ways of reaching an audience (when I’m not on stage!) and even when we’re creating more traditional advertising or DM campaigns, we are consciously helping to create powerful brands that engender positive WOM and create added value for clients. And, in the current economic climate, I think it’s fair to say that our clients need every weapon in the armoury!
If you’d like to find out how we can use our expertise to get your customers saying good things about you, why not give me a call on 01737 249479.