Word of mouth marketing has long been regarded as the best form of advertising for any business. Whether you’re an online retailer or a local coffee shop word of mouth can have significant impacts on your business because people trust the opinions and recommendations of their friends.
Every business has a story to tell and generally speaking there are two ways to tell that story to customers. Either the business tells the consumer directly with paid advertising, or consumers tell each other through word of mouth.
Advertising is great because it is infinitely scalable. There are many channels offering access to consumers interested in your products or services. All you have to do is craft to right message and pay to distribute it.
The problem with advertising is consumers generally don’t trust it because it interrupts what they are trying to do. This can come in the form of a banner ad following you around the web, a TV commercial during your favorite show, or a company showing up in your feed when you’re trying to see what your friends are up to.
On the other hand word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising there is. We naturally turn to our friends for recommendations on products and services, and it’s a marketers dream for their brand to be part of this conversation.
