Word of mouth marketing – how to use it effectively

What is word of mouth marketing?

The saying “it doesn’t matter what, what matters is that they say it” largely reflects the main idea of ​​buzz marketing.

Its main goal is to make a given product or brand famous. However, not at all costs – one of the tasks of buzz marketing is, among other things, to evoke positive associations with the object of promotion in recipients.

Due to the flexibility of the forms adopted, buzz marketing occurs in many “variants”.

Types of word of mouth marketing

Whisper marketing as the “main category” has many varieties. Among them, we can indicate activities carried out within the framework of, among others: product seeding, community marketing, trendsetting or viral marketing.

Each type of buzz marketing is characterized by slightly different specifics. However, there are certain identical features between them – e.g. creating positive associations with a brand or a specific product among recipients.

Product seeding

The activities undertaken within the framework of product seeding consist of sharing samples or full-value products with so-called opinion leaders on the web (e.g. influencers, vloggers, bloggers). The task of the person receiving the product is to recommend it to other prospects.

The influencer’s review can take a more or less natural form.

Regardless of how naturally a given product was advertised, it is still an advertisement. So, according to the law, each film or photo created as part of advertising cooperation should be appropriately marked (European Parliament in Directive 2007/65/EC).

Community marketing

Community marketing, also known as ‘social marketing’ or ‘social media marketing’, involves promoting a brand or product through active participation in discussions on social groups or forums.

A brand promoted too aggressively may be perceived negatively by others in the discussion, and thus the final result may be the opposite of what was intended.

Trendsetting

Similarly to product seeding, trendsetting involves influential people who have ‘their’ audience (e.g. influencers).

The aim of actions taken within trendsetting is to shape a certain (beneficial for the promoted brand) trend of behavior.

Cause marketing

The aim of actions taken within cause marketing (also known as cause related marketing, CRM), or socially engaged marketing, is to support social issues that are important from the point of view of the target group of recipients.

Using the indicated activities, the brand builds its image and strengthens its position by gaining the trust and authority of the recipients.

Viral marketing

Although the name does not bring to mind positive associations, the effects of its use can be spectacular.

Activities carried out as part of viral marketing consist of publishing on the web (e.g. on social media) links to interesting, attention-grabbing advertising materials.

The task of the creators of the advertisement is therefore to create appropriate content in an attractive form, encouraging readers to willingly pass on the content and ‘infect’ other people.

Word of mouth marketing – advantages and disadvantages

Word of mouth marketing, like each of the subcategories of marketing, is characterized by a number of features, both positive and negative.

Some of the negative effects of conducting a word of mouth marketing campaign can be easily avoided. How?

The most important thing is to analyze the justification for carrying out the planned activities. The appropriate definition of the target group and the selection of the distribution channel best suited to it are half the battle.

Advantages of word-of-mouth marketing

• Low cost – possibility of conducting promotional activities despite a limited budget
• A way to develop a close (direct contact) and long-term bond with the customer
• Ability to reach a large group of recipients in a short time
• Influence on the increase in traffic on the website, and thus increase conversion
• Quick effect, possible to maintain in the long term
• Effective way to create and maintain a positive brand image

Disadvantages of word-of-mouth marketing

• Risk of not gaining the expected interest in the promoted product
• Too intensive activities in this area may bring results opposite to the expected
• Time-consuming process of developing a strategy for the activities carried out
• Lack of control over the spread of ‘rumors’, which in the wrong group of recipients may have a harmful effect on the activities carried out

Word-of-mouth marketing – examples

Not everyone is aware of how common a phenomenon activities carried out as part of word-of-mouth marketing are.

Both forums and social media groups, created for prospects interested in a specific, clearly defined topic, are the ideal environment for conducting a campaign.

As an example of word-of-mouth marketing (specifically, an activity conducted within trendsetting), we can point to the collaboration of a popular person (e.g. a celebrity) with a brand.

Another example of activities, this time within community marketing, is initiating or actively participating in a discussion around a specific topic. In response to a question asked in the discussion or in expressing an opinion on the discussed topic, an advertisement for a given product, service or entire brand can be ‘smuggled’ in a neat way.

A well-thought-out and conducted community marketing campaign can yield huge results while remaining ‘unmasked’. In this type of campaign, it is important to get to know the community that constitutes the target group well before taking the first actions.

An example of word-of-mouth marketing on social media

A specific example of activities conducted within the framework of word-of-mouth marketing is the cooperation between Jumia Nigeria and influencers with significant reach on social media.

Jumia offers a wide range of products characterized by fair and competitive prices. Consumers are now increasingly looking up to influencers for suggestions on what products or services to buy on Jumia. This marketing method not only popularizes Jumia’s products among a wide group of recipients, it is also increasing their awareness and influencing a change in adopted attitudes.

In this case, the influencer’s product recommendation goes beyond just a positive review, providing prospects with the entire brand ideology.