What is Word of Mouth Marketing?

Definition and Meaning

What is word of mouth marketing? Well, it’s one of the most common (albeit important) methods of advertising. At the very least, it’s undoubtedly the least-expensive of the various methods.

Word of mouth advertising is ultimately what happens when customers are happy with your products or services. After completing their purchase, they’ll subsequently tell their friends and family about their positive experience, meaning you don’t have to pay a single penny for the referral.

There’s no persuasion when it comes to word-of-mouth marketing, and there are no glitzy promos or advertisements (although these can vicariously help). Rather, it’s simply a customer relaying their opinion to others. This is the essential factor; the customer has nothing to gain or lose, making the information that much more credible.

How Do You Improve Word of Mouth Marketing?

We’ve answered the question of “what is word of mouth marketing” already. Now, it’s time to focus on how to optimize this strategy. While it might sound obvious, there’s one easy solution: provide them with an unmatched customer experience. Merely meeting their expectations won’t do. Rather, you’ll have to provide them with a service or product that they simply can’t find elsewhere.

This can vicariously be impacted via traditional marketing. A creative and unique advertising scheme can help you achieve your desired results; customers will talk about your brand, they’ll try out your brand, they’ll realize you provide unmatched services, and they’ll relay this information to their friends. It’s truly as easy as that.

What Shouldn’t Be Done for Word of Mouth Marketing?

When exploring the answer to “what is word of mouth marketing,” you may be focused on how to improve your overall strategy. However, there are a number of tactics that can hurt your cause:

• Don’t depend on customer service: anyone can tout their business’s customer service, but few brands can actually deliver on this promise. While one customer may receive top-notch service one day, there’s no guarantee that they’ll have that same experience during a subsequent visit. Customers know that this customer-service experience is attributed to the individual employee… not the company as a whole.
• Don’t promise anything: everyone has different expectations of a brand’s services. While you may try to push the customer experience that your company provides, you might not deliver on that individual’s expectation. This would have an adverse impact on word-of-mouth marketing; these consumers would tell their friends and families that you brand doesn’t actually provide what they were promised, thus keeping new customers away.

Does Word of Mouth Marketing Depend on the Actual Service?

Not necessarily. When we answered the question of “what is word of mouth marketing,” we pointed out that clever advertising tactics could ultimately generate some interest in your brand. More specifically, there are plenty of non-verbal tactics that you can experiment with, and these could help to improve how customers perceive your brand:

• Architectural: if your business’s building has an odd quirk, it will surely be recognized. If you have, say, a drive-through window or a swing set, customers will undoubtedly pass this information on to others.
• Observable: provide the customer with an unmatched experience via your services. For instance, operating with a tongue-in-cheek tone will surely get you recognized.
• Generosity: give back to your customers and accommodate their every need. If you’re willing to fulfill their wishes, they’ll surely refer you to others.

Do I Need Word of Mouth Marketing for My Spreadshop?

Of course! No matter what kind of business you have, word of mouth marketing can go a long way in improving brand awareness. This is easier said than done with an online business, but you can attract viewers and buyers by constantly cranking out unique and eye-catching content.