What is the Single Most Effective Form of Marketing?

Travis McAshanDevelopment
Nov 2013

Did you know that 92% of consumers worldwide trust recommendations from family members and friends more than any form of advertising?

We will listen to people we trust. When someone close to you makes a recommendation, it is easy to trust that the following experience, service, or product will be positive.

I am currently in Costa Rica, in a little town that I know nothing about. But it was recommended to me by a friend back home in Austin. I have never heard of any of this little town’s grocery stores, restaurants or tour companies, even though they all seem to sell the same things. But when someone at our hostel recommended a restaurant, we walked until we found it. When we asked someone at that restaurant which was the best grocery store with the freshest foods, they told us, and we walked until we found it. When we left there, we found a small office that offered a hundred different tours here. We asked which tour was best for young kids, and took the tour to Santa Elena Cloud Forest the next morning without hesitation. While on the tour, we met a biologist who made a comment about loving where he lived. We asked where that was exactly, since we needed a place to stay for a few months, and he told us exactly where to go. We moved in to our new home the next day.

We naturally talk about products, brands, organizations and experiences all the time.

We suggest the best spot for a delicious red-wine. We tell our friends that our favorite baby store is having a big sale. We recommend books, vacation destinations, recipes, toothpastes that taste good AND do their job, dish soaps that don’t leave spots, and cell phone companies with the best plans and customer service.

Word of mouth is a very powerful form of marketing. When someone is looking to trade their money for a product or service, they are likely going to trust either a friend, a family member, an expert in the area in question, or someone who has been around long enough to know which is best and why.

Here are 6 interesting facts about word of mouth marketing.

American consumers mention specific brands 3 billion times per day. It is so frequent and so common, that most of us do it naturally without even realizing it.

Every day, the average American engages in more than 16 word of mouth conversations, saying something positive or negative about an organization, brand, product, or service.

When asked what influences a “decision to use or not use a particular company, brand, or product,” 72% say reviews from family members or friends have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of influence

About 81% of U.S. consumers are influenced by a friend’s social media post.

About 78% of US consumers are influenced by a post from a brand.

In word of mouth marketing, social media and articles are the most effective, followed by blogs, webinars, videos, and digital publications. The most effective word of mouth marketing is credible, respectful, social, measurable, and repeatable.

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