Editorial Articles

Word of mouth (WOM) marketing stems from sharing our likes and interests with our friends and family. While its basic premise remains the same in the digital age – sharing information about a product or service – the channels used offer a great deal more functionality. Brands can not only directly influence conversations, they can now monitor what’s being said and interact with their advocates and ‘badvocates’ in real time, through multiple, integrated platforms.

For brands, the Internet has enhanced and expedited the buying process. The customer journey might be achievable in a few quick clicks, but the decision making process is no less important. With so much vying for the consumer’s attention, relevant information is needed more than ever to help inform their decisions.

There can be no doubt that an individual’s opinion is more credible than a company’s. While e-commerce sites are awash with customer recommendations, the rise of social media has accelerated the way in which consumer ‘conversations’ occur. It’s here that marketers have most opportunity to garner influence, but in an age of increased corporate scepticism, transparency and honesty are key.

However, openness hasn’t made WOM any less powerful or persuasive. Not only has it enhanced the customer experience by giving them a soapbox on which to express their opinions, it’s also given them a chance to influence brand behaviour, which in turn helps create more loyalty.

The digital WOM relationship is reciprocal in other ways too. For example, using customer response forums, marketers can anticipate public opinion during a campaign’s initial planning stages or potentially influence the perceived performance and popularity of their brands.

Although the benefits are obvious for consumer brands keen to enhance loyalty online, in fact WOM has an even greater role in business marketing. B2B marketing plans are generally used to emphasise products, values and uses, rather than the more emotive advertising campaigns and media reviews approach used by consumer marketers.

As with any campaign, marketers must make sure they know their audience well, and WOM is a way to help build relationships. While a carefully mapped out campaign can reduce damage limitation when things do go wrong, what makes a WOM-lead community thrive is the ability for brands to relinquish some degree of control. This makes a conversation more authentic – something that consumers hold in much more esteem than the one-sided party line towed by a faceless multinational.

Essentially, WOM is about trust. We trust our peers to give us accurate information, but increasingly it’s the marketer’s role to facilitate delivery. By doing so they’re encouraging customers to evaluate their products and services impartially, which helps to build trust and in turn, create more interest in their brand.

Grant Muckle
Head of Natural Search, I Spy Marketing

Vector Media Study Source: 
http://victrixmedia.com.au/?tag=vector-media-study