On the heels of the Vocus Influencer Poll Webinar came a PRWeb Webinar on Word of Mouth Marketing with Ted Wright of Fizz, a WOMM agency.

“People generally trust other people who are “like themselves.”

As a result, that trust extends to product knowledge when a person who someone deems similar to themselves speaks about a product or service. 92% of people cite word of mouth as the best source for product ideas. People who recommend products have an impact on others who choose to buy those products – 19% of people choose a brand solely due to recommendation. Talking about a brand impacts brand strength and brands are 1.5 times more likely to grow when they are talked about versus talking about themselves.

Just about everyone is talking, and they’re talking frequently – 76% of Americans talk about least one brand a day and 15% of every conversation in America includes something about a product or service. Per person, there are 112 marketing relevant conversations per week. And some people talk more than others: 2 times as many brand conversations per week come from influencers.

As social media participation grows exponentially, the conversations can be stimulated by a brand’s own marketing and media: 40% of brand conversations refer to brand marketing or media.

What do all these numbers mean? Conversation says it all. When consumers are talking about you, you benefit. If you are spewing advertisements, rather than getting customer reviews, you lose.

How to Earn Word of Mouth Success

Identify a leadership group and find the talkers. Once you do that, give them something to talk about. After creating the tools to get the movement started such as conversation, photos, video, samples, etc., you can allow people to join the movement, then measure your results after a period of time.

But how do you measure the results of your word of mouth marketing strategy? Simple — by seeing increased sales. But before you see sales, you can also analyze online conversations, face to face conversations, and look at influential “buzz hubs” where your information might be found.

Fizz’s “Great Truths of WOMM”

Great products sample; average products advertise.

Invite people to sample. Never interrupt or intercept.

PR is important. It validates WOMM and adds velocity.

Work with the influencers you have identified early. Teach them your brand story and they will share.

Stories are shared if they are interesting, relevant and authentic.

What techniques have you used to achieve word of mouth success?

Filed under: Facts and Figures, Small Business, Social Media, Tips and Tricks, Visibility by Stacey Acevero