How experiences drive word of mouth marketing

Word of mouth works by helping people cut through the vast number of choices they have available to them when they go to make a purchase. A good recommendation from someone they know and trust can be enough to steer them toward one particular product. Word of mouth is clearly a powerful beast, but it can be difficult to harness.

Why should brands care about word of mouth marketing? 

The American Marketing Association took a closer look at word of mouth marketing, asking brands what they think about it and what they are doing about it. Of the marketing executives interviewed, 64 per cent said they believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing, but only 6 per cent expressed confidence that they have mastered it.

The significance of word of mouth is clearly recognised, but brands are still struggling to tap into this valuable form of marketing. One way they can capitalise on word of mouth is to create events that will get people talking. Experiences and events are gradually emerging as the best ways to encourage people to spread the word about a brand.

Once you convince someone to tell a friend, their friend will tell a friend … and so on.

Word of mouth marketing and experiences

The reason experiential marketing ties into word of mouth promotion so easily is simple – people like to talk about what they do. When done well, experiences can be interesting or unique enough to merit being passed from person to person. Whether it’s online or in person, if someone sees, does, tastes, or in any other way experiences something awesome, they’ll want others to know about it.

Shuttlerock reports that 59 per cent of consumers like telling others about new things they’ve bought. The same report says 77 per cent of people are more likely to buy a product when they hear about it through friends and family, while 41 per cent are more likely to purchase when they learn about something through public events. The decision to buy is also influenced by friend’s social media posts, 81 per cent of people say. This shows the importance of user-generated content, as people will trust what their friends are saying about a product over what the brand itself is saying.

Once you get people talking with your brand experience, you can reap the rewards of word of mouth marketing.

Increasing word of mouth marketing

Driving word of mouth marketing is important for brands, and in an era where people talk about their experiences more and more online, brand events are perfectly positioned to boost this organic form of marketing. Experiential marketing basically has the power to turn people into advocates, and advocacy is known to drive growth. Consumers influence each other’s decisions, as people use their alignment with brands to express their social identity.

Brands can increase word of mouth marketing by creating positive experiences at events, establishing good relationships with their customers and consistently delivering great products and services. As a direct channel to consumers, experiential marketing is the ideal way to connect with people.

Orange Productions can help your brand capitalise on widespread word of mouth marketing. We’ll make sure yours is the brand everyone is talking about. Get in touch with our experienced team today to find out more.