Written by: Jessica Lowe
Word of mouth, word of mavens, word of mavericks, word of mind, or perhaps considering the digital age we’re in today, “word of mouse” marketing. Whatever you want to call it, it is undoubtedly a part of marketing today.
By definition, word of mouth (WOM) marketing is people sharing information with others. WOM marketing has become so influential that the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) was founded in 2004 to advance and reinforce “the discipline of credible word of mouth marketing”.
I cannot say that traditional advertising no longer influences me, however, if I’m actively seeking a particular product traditional means won’t sway me. Rather, I instinctively turn to my laptop to look up product reviews, most likely on Amazon. If I’m looking to try a new restaurant, I turn to Yelp reviews for suggestions. Just the other day, my boyfriend needed to get his car repaired. Being new residents of the Boston area, we didn’t know where to go, so we turned to Yelp for help.
WOM is not a new idea; people have always been most influenced by recommendations whether from family, friends or professionals. Today, however, WOM marketing has been taken to a much higher level because of the increasing Internet and social networking usage worldwide. Consumers are willingly sharing their opinions with marketers (even if only intended for their friends’ eyes) through various social networking sites, blogs and review sites.
Marketers now have access to a plethora of information generated by consumers of their products. Not all reviews are good of course, but it is always arguable whether there is any such thing as bad PR. Nevertheless, because of the instantaneous nature of the internet-age, marketers must monitor their WOM marketing since a brand can be ruined very quickly online. Companies can utilize social networking platforms like TweetDeck or Hootsuite to conduct a real-time search of everyone mentioning their brand. Because of these applications, marketers can get immediate feedback on their products, which can help them improve the products if necessary.
Tempur-Pedic is a company that recognizes the power of WOM marketing. They created a commercial specifically encouraging potential customers to engage in WOM with current Tempur-Pedic customers via Facebook and Twitter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjQ10-rUlH8]
WOM marketing is a very powerful tool that, if utilized correctly, can create a buzz about a brand within hours. Companies cannot ignore the channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, blogs, and so forth, that their customers are using for WOM today. Online WOM marketing can quickly damage or enhance a brand, so companies must regularly monitor the Internet to make sure their brand stays in a positive light, and if it starts to dim then they’ll be able to realize that changes need to be made.
Jessica may be contacted at jessica_lowe@emerson.edu