Spreading like Wildfire : Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of Mouth is the process of 'passing of information from person to person using oral communication' (Wikipedia, 2020). Word of Mouth is a tool that comes naturally from consumers that assists a business promote a product or their brand based off their opinions and thoughts shared to another person. Statistics demonstrate that Word of Mouth is an effective tool for businesses as 'people are 90% more likely to trust and buy from a brand recommended by a friend' (Saleh, n.a). The impact of an individual that has a strong opinion on a product can significantly increase the chances of another person deciding to purchase an item.
The usage of Word of Mouth has expanded from more than just oral communication. This term can also include opinions left about a product such as comments about an item or even a review about the brand. Research has proven that this type of tool can have a direct impact on the brands image and the loyalty consumers have towards a brand.
The importance of word of mouth has been proven through a survey showing that 88% of consumers considering it as the most important factor when it comes to trusting a product and 28% of people would be certain to buy a product after a friend has recommended it to them.
Word of Mouth has been applied to several social media platforms through the use of recommendations. For example, YouTube has a recommendations list that shows similar videos based off your previous interests on the website. Other social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram have recommended friends that you can add based off your mutual friends. Finally, even a platform such as Spotify can recommend songs based off your preferences and even share playlists created by other members of the platform that suit the same style of interest.
All in all, Word of Mouth is every where and cannot be avoided. For businesses it is a huge advantage when there is a good word spread about them and their products. Do you get influenced easily by another persons opinion? Let me know in the comments below.
-Huy
I wouldn't say I get easily persuaded or influenced by one person opinion but it would get me interested in checking it out and hearing from other people in addition to that.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that. Just because one person has had a great experience with a product doesn't mean that it will work perfectly for me and suit my interest. I believe that I would be more persuaded if the person had similar taste to things that I do thus being able to trust their opinion because it would be similar to mine.
DeleteIt always depends on what you define bring influenced by another's opinion. Sometimes other's opinions assist you in optimising your business, so you've got to be able to filter out the positives from the negatives, and don't let other's opinion of you, alter your decision making.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't mind letting people persuade me as long as it is someone I know i can trust the opinion of. Some body such as a family member or a very close friend that knows what I would be into. However, after their opinions i would definitely research the product and see if it is something I would personally by myself.
DeleteI am much more likely to buy a product if it were recommended to me by a family or friend as I trust their opinion. Furthermore, I don't think friends nor family would intentionally mislead me with the traits of a product, and I believe in their honesty. I also get influenced by social media influencer opinions as I am an avid watcher and supporter
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you Krystal. I would absolutely trust everything my friends and family members would say about a product because there they aren't working for the business meaning they won't exaggerate anything that wouldn't be true. Everything that they say about the product would be 100% completely honest and their feelings towards the product itself.
DeleteWhen buying a product I always read through the reviews written about the product or ask friends and family if the product is worth buying. Having other people's opinion influences my choice on whether to buy the product or not. Social media influences such as celebrity endorsements also contribute to decision.
ReplyDeleteCelebrity endorsements are definitely very important. I know personally that I do pay attention to an advertisement of a product when I see celebrities that I admire to be representing the product. Although I know they're getting paid to say things about the product without having their personal thoughts, seeing them make the product look good still makes me want to be a consumer of that product.
DeleteAs easy as it is to deny being influenced by others opinions, we all take into account what others think regardless of whether we want to or not. I’d like to think that i make my own decisions based primarily on myself however i do ask for others’ point of view as it may be beneficial at times. It’s almost inevitable and most of the time very insightful to know more.
ReplyDeleteFor sure. I definitely hate admitting my liking to a product when a friend recommends it because I hate for them to say "I told you so". However, I do appreciate their opinions because they would only express opinions to me about products that they know I would have a particular interest in. Otherwise they would know it is a waste of my time and not say anything about it.
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