Where Does The Best Word of Mouth Advertising Come From?

Like most things not all word of mouth advertising gets you the same results.

For example, according to Mintel consumer media and research, 34% of US Internet users who bought a product or service based on a recommendation got that tip from a friend or relative, while 25% bought based on advice from a spouse or domestic partner.

Now when it comes to bloggers and chat rooms the results are much less.  It turns out that while bloggers may bring buzz to a product, converting the buzz to sales is another matter.

Unless, of course, the blogger is a friend.

"It's interesting to find that as much time as we spend online, we still prefer a personal recommendation from someone we know and trust," said Chris Haack of Mintel. This is why at Bay Area Mastermind we encourage the value of building a collection  of testimonials from satisfied customers. We can never talk as well about ourselves as our  customers can say about our product or services.

The most common reason that Internet users recommended a product or service was price,
followed by quality and convenience.

The take away here is that as marketers we need to pay close attention to the type of word of mouth advertising that we are relying on. As always, building a sound product and treating your customers like gold will increase the chances of people referring their friends and family. For more information on how to develop a word of mouth program contact Bay Area Mastermind.