By Nikul Patel
Word of mouth marketing is actually far different from other marketing initiatives. It might not be that easy to control word of mouth marketing, but, the activity can be managed by building a strong foundation or through direct as well as indirect management.
Word of Mouth Marketing Models
If you need to manage the simplest form of marketing, then it’s associated with organic inter-consumer model. This means that other people have no clue about what the company is happy to offer. The products or services become popular only when a consumer speaks about the product, provides product reviews and tells other about the service experience. By the name, the model is called organic because the organization is not playing a role to plan out things. Instead, the brand gains recognition only when consumers feel free to share their personal experiences.
As time passed, marketing professionals started understanding the importance of influential consumers. It was at that time when people adopted the linear marketer influence model. The idea of bringing in an interaction with potential consumers helped them know the product even before making a purchase. As influential sources spread the message, organizations could reach out to the target consumer with the value proposition. Over a period of time, marketers found this model to be the best one because it controlled the spread of negative opinions.
Moving ahead, the network coproduction model served to be useful for encouraging conversations and making others aware of the product. The prime focus was online marketing, posting informative blogs and creating a buzz on online forums. It could either be through a direct approach or moving on with a campaign that makes it feasible to reach out to numerous people. Moreover, to increase the interaction, companies also started using an engineering approach.
Word of Mouth Marketing Strategies
Word of mouth marketing has been very much effective and been prevalent over the years, especially when it is incorporated into existing social media marketing strategies. Here is a glimpse of the word of mouth marketing strategies you must know.
Encourage User Generated Content
In order to entice users to generate content, distinguish your content through unique hashtags. As the company adds a personal touch to the posts, they can think about offering a free gift, discounts and offers. The marketing team can also showcase the user generated content on the website or in a blog post. This would create an impression that customers are never forgotten.
To reassure visitors about the quality of service, it’s becomes important to share testimonials. These can either be in written format or short duration videos. Once the reviews are posted, the marketing team can find various tactics to repurpose the content.
Get Product Ratings
Depending on your business model, you should give customers an opportunity to rate your products. This comes into picture when an ecommerce site showcases different products from reputed brands. It can also be useful when you are running an IT company and you want to post feedback along with the products the organization offers.
Offer an Incentive
People are more than happy to share when they get something in return. To use this strategy, you simply offer a free gift or discount in exchange for referrals.
Connect with Thought Leaders
Influencers are those individuals who have the power to influence and lure other people to buy the product. So, owing to the established reputation, influential marketing can certainly be valuable. For appealing the influencers, you can state their names in the content, let them try the products, or feature them in a prominent way.
Create a Memorable Experience
Perhaps the most effective way to drive word of mouth marketing is to offer an incredible and share-worthy experience. If you give your customers a memorable experience that is rooted in their minds, then they will come back to you. They won’t hesitate to share their experience with their friends, whether or not you ask them to.
Finally, you should trace and nurture your customers. While tools can be used for automating the process, social media can be one of the best referral channels. By going above and beyond to please your customers, you can win their hearts with customer service gestures.
Photo credit: Word of mouth marketing on tablet from weedezign/Shutterstock
