Word of mouth is definitely an essential part of any successful modern marketing strategy. However, many of you may not know that it means something beyond the implied meaning. Traditionally, word of mouth referred to a person’s independent and unsolicited verbal recommendation of a company in their social circle, based solely on excellent product or service quality.
At that time, this phenomenon was a spontaneous, natural reflex action of a satisfied and happy customer. Companies recognized the potential power and influence of word of mouth in increasing sales and attracting new customers and quickly began using this technique in their marketing strategies. They began asking for written feedback from their happy customers to showcase their skills to potential clients and also asked for referrals.
This natural reflex quickly evolved into a well-developed, highly technical and essential part of digital marketing services. Nowadays, every reputed and experienced digital marketing agency in Edmonton emphasizes the importance of word of mouth in improving a brand’s reputation.
Also read: What is the importance of digital marketing for your company?
However, due to the changing needs and lifestyles of society, digital marketing companies and agencies need to change their marketing strategies to make them more relevant and valuable to the public. Nowadays, social media has replaced most of the traditional activities in social gatherings and individuals now prefer to use social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, etc. to connect with other people.
The latter has not only shown the importance of social media marketing but also changed the face and meaning of word of mouth. Unfortunately, many companies do not understand the ever-changing societal norms and the need to adapt accordingly.
Therefore, this blog post discusses the modernization of word of mouth and its connection to social media marketing.
The power of social media
As mentioned earlier, social media has largely replaced our traditional community meetings and interaction activities. People used to showcase their new purchases like jewelry, clothes, makeup items, etc. at parties. Impressed by the owner and his admirers’ words of praise for a particular product, people then bought the same product from the same brand to achieve the same fame.
Nowadays, the same cycle takes place, but instead of a demonstration at a party or gathering, the satisfied customer shares his views and images of a product with his acquaintances on a social media platform.
As we speak, the number is The number of social media users worldwide is a whopping 4.74 billion. In 2022, social media recorded 190 million new users worldwide. A more precise calculation shows that almost 60% of the world’s population is on social media. If we only talk about Canada, 34.47 million people use social mediawhile the country’s total population is just 39 million. This means that approximately 78% of Canadians use social media.
Recognizing the potential to reach a wider audience than physical means, many companies also took advantage of social media. But this broader account is also a double-edged sword. While it increases brand visibility, it is also challenging to reach and filter your audience to find those interested in a particular product or service. As a result, social media marketing and engagement services emerged.
Understanding Modern Word of Mouth (WOM).
As can be seen from the above discussion, the traditional definition and scope of word of mouth has little relevance in modern times. Since people prefer to use social media to express their opinions on almost everything, word of mouth spreads faster online than through verbal interactions. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that social media marketing is modern word of mouth.
Different role players in social media marketing and WOM
Contrary to popular belief, word of mouth is not achieved solely through customer recommendations. Even a happy employee or independent industry expert can increase your goodwill and reputation. This is why it’s important to identify each audience segment you want to reach word of mouth and target them individually on the right social media platforms.
The most common role players that can help you build an endless chain of potential customers and admirers include:
- Satisfied customers – You can ask them to share their great experiences on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Satisfied employees – If you encourage your employees to showcase their company culture on LinkedIn, there’s a good chance you’ll attract a number of other companies willing to work with you.
- Social media influencer – These are people with a large following on certain platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. As the name suggests, they have the ability to influence the purchasing habits of their followers. Use them to your advantage.
- Niche experts – These people are like influencers, but the reason for their fame is their immense knowledge about a particular industry. If a famous makeup artist says on their Instagram page or YouTube channel that they use your beauty products, it is very likely that their listeners will follow their lead.
The Importance of a Reputed Digital Marketing Agency
Obviously, a word-of-mouth marketing strategy can make or break a brand’s image on social media. In the past and even today, we have seen numerous seemingly well-crafted marketing strategies go down the drain. It takes years to build a good reputation, and one small slip-up can ruin it.
This is why only an experienced and results-oriented digital marketing agency can help drive social media marketing and word of mouth in the right direction.
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