Realizing that word-of-mouth marketing can’t be controlled, only effectively harranessed through the strategic use of tools like social media.
Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst
| Read Part 1 |
Ask yourself this: When was the last time you bought a product or used a service after hearing about it from a traditional medium like TV commercial or magazine ad? From another perspective, how do you think clients – from the cellular-deprived consumer who dropped a phone in the toilet to the airline looking to upgrade its fleet – make decisions and find out about you?
With the scales tipping in favor of new and social media, word-of-mouth is more prevalent and influential than ever. Not only is this message powerful because it’s passed efficiently via social media from trusted sources, but also because the amount of time consumers spend on social media continues to increase. For supporting research and data, check out the Nielsen report “Social Networking’s New Global Footprint" (Note: opens as a PDF).
80% of EyeTraffic Media’s new clients come from referrals, which is basically word-of-mouth. How do we accomplish that? By providing effective, measurable results through the implementation of tactical interactive marketing campaigns, including helping our clients use social media in their favor. That statement isn’t to pat ourselves on the back, but notice that nowhere does it say “by using word-of-mouth marketing”.
We GENERATE word-of-mouth by providing exceptional marketing solutions for clients. That is, our services are remarkable; our past and current clients are compelled to talk about them. That’s how we, a marketing consultancy executing the lion’s share of our tactics through new media, make word-of-mouth work in our favor.
Abandon the mindset of “using” word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth is an outcome, not a tactic in itself. This type of buzz can be induced by fantastic products, extraordinary service, innovative methods, controversial practices, and a myriad of other reasons people start talking. Of course, word-of-mouth can be negative as well, but don’t let that scare you. From our standpoint, the best marketing advice strangely comes from Bonnie Raitt: give ‘em something (good) to talk about.
In this two-post entry, hopefully you’ve learned a bit about social media. But finding information on social media is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Thankfully, you can continue your social media immersion in t-minus 12 days on July 22 @ 12 EST/ 9 PST when EyeTraffic Media and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) join forces for a webinar – Measuring Social Media Effectively. This 1-hour session will focus on just that: measuring your social media efforts. In the crowded landscape of social media, it’s easy to join the conversation but difficult to know if all the chatter is adding up. Best of all, the webinar is FREE. Bring your thinking cap, questions, and find out how you can take your social media understanding to a measurable level. Click the badge below to register.
Tags: Measuring social media, Social Media Marketing, word-of-mouth marketing
