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Word of Mouth: More is Better
The simple phrase 'Word of Mouth' covers a very wide variety of activities, according to a new report from the US-based Keller Fay Group – and marketers who restrict their definition of it to one kind or another are missing a trick.
The report, entitled The More, the Better: Creating Successful Word of Mouth Campaigns, says that WOM marketing works best when it is incorporated into all facets of daily life, touching many kinds of relationships and in a variety of settings – and the wider the range, the better the results.
The study, conducted among volunteer 'consumer evangelists' working with the word of mouth marketing and media firm BzzAgent, stresses the range of activities included in effective word of mouth marketing:- Many kinds of people. Word of mouth agents are most likely to talk about products with friends and family (about 7 in 10 do so for each). But many also talk to co-workers (58%) and casual acquaintances (48%), and 25% with strangers they meet.
- Many settings. Most word of mouth agents spread the word in their homes (82%), at work (56%) and others' homes (55%). But many talk about products in other settings, including social gatherings (43%), stores (25%), and restaurants or bars (25%).
- Many ways. While almost all agents use face-to-face encounters (99%), many spread the word in other ways as well, from phone (42%) to email (30%), instant messages and text messages (17%), and online chat rooms and blogs (9%).
Among those who told 11 or more people about products or services, 59% inspired three or more people they talked with to buy the product, 63% spurred three or more people to seek more information, 71% to tell others about the product, and 77% to consider buying the product in the future.
CEO Ed Keller stresses the need for marketers to think broadly about posible avenues for WOM: 'Marketers sell themselves short if they just think of word of mouth as just spreading the word, just about blogs, or just about getting people to 'tell a friend'. The high levels of word of mouth occurring in stores, for example, suggests there may be an opportunity to stimulate word of mouth based on packaging and in-store displays.'
The Keller Fay Group is the first full-service market research company focused exclusively on word of mouth (WOM) marketing. The firm launched TalkTrack™, a service that monitors 'all marketing-relevant conversations in America', in April this year.
The complete report, which is the second in a series that began with 'The Steak Is the Sizzle', includes suggestions on how marketers can apply these learnings to their marketing programs, and complimentary copies are available at www.kellerfay.com .
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