The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

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Find out how word-of-mouth marketing can be the most powerful weapon in your marketing toolkit.

Whether it’s referrals, testimonials, recommendations or word-of-mouth — it’s all the same thing and it can be the most powerful weapon in your marketing toolkit.

In fact, my business consultant recently advised me to make it a requirement included in my client agreements:

“If you like my work, please recommend my company to friends and colleagues and I’d love to post a testimonial on my website.”

It becomes buzz, viral, and you can leverage it on your website, blog and social media channels. Clients love you, they remember you and refer you to others.

According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. In a recent study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word-of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing.

I came across a very informative article on why word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful social media on Forbes.com. I thought it was very insightful as it referenced principles of the three E’s of marketing — especially as it relates to our social media strategies.

As marketers, we all embody the four P’s of marketing. In fact, I did a whole podcast episode on it. But the article on Forbes articulated that we also need to focus on the three E’s as well and make a better practice of connecting with our clients. The three E’s of marketing is something that I’d never heard of before so I wanted to share those principles with my readers as well.

The Three E’s of Marketing

Engage. Give your fans the gift of you. Engage with them. Listen to what they are telling you. Be part of the conversation about your brand. Be a presence in your fans’ lives.

Equip. Give your fans reasons to talk. It can be amazing products, great service, insider knowledge, social elevation, incredible stories, unbelievable facts or even funny disclosures. You need to understand your consumers and what they like about you and provide whatever it is they need from you.

Empower. Give consumers different ways to talk and share. Let them know that they are important to you and that sharing their opinions is important to you. Help them find ways to share within their circles and find ways to help move their conversations around.

Small businesses have a huge advantage over large companies in word-of-mouth marketing because the distance between you as the owner and your clients or customers is much closer.

There’s an opportunity for to have a relationship with your clients, and so it’s easier to customize offers, to give personal attention, and these are things that tend to raise the level of satisfaction that the clients have and their willingness to advocate for your brand.

Read the full article on Forbes and get people talking about you!

Image via Love the Idea