I remember when I brought my first iPhone. I was the first person to buy one at my work. I remember giving it to my IT guy to set up my email. He did it within a minute. He was very impressed. Word soon spread that it was easy to get email set up on these new phones called iPhones. Before the iPhone connecting to our work email through the different mobile devices was difficult. The iPhone changed everything. The power of word of mouth changed everything. Almost everyone in my office now has an iPhone. Many of those people have iPads. Some of us including me have Macs.
There is no doubt that word of mouth marketing is the single most influential way to drive people to buy what you are selling, or convince people who your organisation is authentic and the real deal. Word of mouth marketing can do for brands what Red Bull does for parents who have been up all night. It can give a tired and run down brand a massive boost sustaining it beyond what should be possible.
A word of caution, word of mouth can have both a positive effect and a negative impact. If good news travels fast, bad news travels at the speed of light. Whether you like it or not you cannot control word of mouth. You can simply sow the seeds in a fertile ground. Here are a couple of ideas to help provoke word of mouth about your organisation:
Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.
I can remember when I recently went to France on our holiday. We stayed in rural France in the Loire Valley. The owners of the house we were renting invited us over for a barbecue to their house. It just so happened that the Tour De France was going RIGHT past their front door at the same time as the barbecue. It was one of the most original and fun times I had on holiday. It was manic and crazy with the support teams for two hours then the riders came through in about 2 minutes. Incredible! If you have ever see ‘Le Tour’ then you will know what I talking about. If not, well you’ll just have to go. In fact the whole time we spent at the house was incredible. A very special memory for my family (Whoops there I did it. Word of mouth marketing!)
The power of referral is king
I can remember when we were choosing schools for our children. What the other parents said meant a whole lot more than what a glossy brochure or a school tour could ever tell me. I would always elevate the truth of the personal experience of a parent over anything the school said.
Ask people if they like what you do to share it
I know. You are probably thinking that you could never do that! But if you don’t ask you don’t get. If people like what you do they will tell their friends about you. Maybe not straight away but they will remember you. When you deliver above and beyond what people expect they love it. They will tell their friends about you. Sometimes they need a little push. It may be a small discount card for a friend or a voucher of some kind.
Below is a great info-graphic describing the potential of word of mouth marketing for you and your organisation.
Info-graphic Source: WOMMA
Can you remember when someone told you about a product? Comment below.
