Word of Mouth Marketing – What You Should Know in 2015 |
Posted: May 8, 2015 |
Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is a marketing channel used by both large and small businesses. WOMM works especially well for businesses that offer excellent customer service. Primarily, this is because as humans we are wired to share stories with one another. This means that anytime we - as consumers - experience great customer service we are all too eager to share these stories with others. This is why it's more important than ever that businesses embrace word of mouth marketing. The Evolution of Word of Mouth MarketingAlthough in the past word of mouth marketing has been heavily associated with the traditional media channels, when we think about WOMM today, new forms of communications media come to mind. In our current hyper-connected environment, much of our communication takes place through websites, blogs, social media and text messages. Speaking of social media, thanks to this form of marketing today's businesses have more word of mouth opportunities than what was ever imaginable a mere 20 years ago. The Connection between Social Media and Word of MouthIf you want to leverage the power of digital marketing there are a few fundamentals that are non-negotiable. Having a professional website is one of them.In 2015 every business should have a website. However, sadly only 50-60% of US based small businesses own a website. Of the companies that do, only half are updating their site regularly. The problem with not having a website is that 1) since they're so prevalent, not having one can give your audience the wrong impression and 2) a website offers the best chance for your brand to control your message. Either issue can make it difficult for you to take advantage of word of mouth marketing. Websites aren't the only critical area that small businesses are missing out on. In fact, small businesses are even less represented when it comes to social media. Only 1 in 3 businesses has some form of a social media presence and many do not actively engage their customers through social media. While it's certainly not impossible to benefit from word of mouth advertising -- when you're not on the main social networking platforms -- it is much harder to take advantage of it. Risk of Not Being OnlineBeing invisible isn’t the biggest risk facing offline businesses. The biggest risk is that when disgruntled customers’ do take their grievances to the Internet, you will be unable to do anything about it. That’s because customers don’t just tweet, ‘check-in’ (Facebook) or review (Yelp) businesses when they have good experiences; they also use the same platforms when they have a bad experience. The good news is that if you’re already online, you have the ability to not only help your unhappy customers but to do so in the public sphere. This is where the magic takes place, because solving their problems online creates the perfect opportunity for them to go on Facebook and tell their friends how your customer service made their day. Isn’t this what word of mouth is all about? The bottom line is that you can no longer talk about word of mouth marketing without mentioning social media because the two have become inseparable. Likewise, it’s difficult to fully participate in social media without first having a website. So if your business is still offline, by all means – please do something about it! The sooner you do, the sooner you can leverage the full might of WOMM!
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