Some companies spend thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars on traditional marketing; including ads, TV spots, e-blasts, fliers and more. But could the most effective form of marketing actually be free?
According to Jonah Berger, the author of “Contagious, Why Things Catch On,” the answer to that questions is “yes.” He argues that word-of-mouth is more effective than traditional advertising for two reasons.
First, Berger explains it’s more persuasive.
“Advertisements usually tell us how great a product is. You’ve heard it all — how nine out of 10 dentists recommend Crest or how no other detergent will get your clothes as clean as Tide. But because ads will always argue that their products are the best, they’re really not credible,” he said. “Our friends, however, tend to tell it to us straight. If they thought Crest did a good job, they’ll say. But they’d also tell us if Crest tasted bad or failed to whiten their teeth. Their objectivity, coupled with their candidness, makes us much more likely to trust, listen to and believe our friends.”
Second, Berger argues word of mouth is more targeted.
“Companies try to advertise in ways that allow them to reach the largest number of interested customers,” he said. “Word of mouth, on the other hand, is naturally directed toward an interested audience. We don’t share a news story or recommendation with everyone we know. Rather, we tend to select particular people who we think would find that given piece of information most relevant.”
So how can you harness the power of word of mouth marketing? According to Berger, to do so you must understand “why people talk and why some things get talked about and shared more than others.”
Over the course of the next couple weeks I’ll address this concept, and hopefully help you harness the free power of word of mouth.
Rachel Zabonick is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
Its called a buddy referral our industry was built on them.You get them by providing excellent service, by giving more than you get, by developing deep friendship,relationships and helping others be the best them they can be. Practice the golden rule “do unto other as you would have done unto you” and guess what …amazingly people will bring there friends . You shouldn’t have to read a book or buy a course to figure this out. You will however have to go out on the floor and talk to people, smile and remember there name. Maybe as an industry we should all get back to the basics and quit trying to reinvent the wheel.
Bob, of course that principle still stands, as it always will. It can be extrapolated upon & the author is talking about an evolution of that to an extent. There are sometimes just mysterious things that people will latch onto & spread the word whether it be good or bad. To figure out how to create something that will get people talking before they have even visited is key. It creates energy & interest which will generate the need to investigate further.