When was the last time you recommended a product to a friend or family member or told them about a positive experience you had with a brand? How about the last time you shared a negative experience?

Chances are, the latter comes to mind much more quickly and predominantly than the former. Negativity bias (for a number of biological and evolutionary reasons) explains that we’re more likely to register a negative event than we are to recall details of a happy one. According to researcher Randy Larsen, PhD, “not only do negative events and experiences imprint more quickly, but they also linger longer than positive ones.”

This explains why the power of word-of-mouth marketing is so powerful. We interact with brands and businesses every day, but if the experience is anything short of extraordinary, it’s unlikely we’re going to go out of our way to talk about it or share that experience with others (and, further, if the experience is perceived as negative, you can almost guarantee it’s going to be shared). 

If you’re able to create a positive experience for your customer that’s worth talking about: you’ve basically struck gold.

Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is this exactly. It describes when customers share a product or service with those in their social circle (which, let’s remember, are much bigger thanks to social media).

When people talk about your company, they’re advertising your company for you.

WOMM is proof of your credibility, extends your reach (particularly if they’re sharing it with their online network), and stats show it’s extremely powerful:

●      According to a local consumer review survey by BrightLocal, “82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 52% of 18-54-year-olds saying they ‘always’ read reviews”

●      That study also showed the average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business

●      A Nielsen study revealed that 92% of consumers around the world say they “trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth or recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising”

How to turn your customers into brand advocates

I spoke recently about strategic marketing, and this concept comes into play strongly here. It can sometimes seem like brands “get lucky” when everyone is talking about them or they create content that goes viral.

But these things don’t just happen—there was a plan that got them there.

These are some simple ways to encourage word of mouth marketing for your brand. Consider implementing one or all of them to your marketing plan! 

Invest in your current clients or customers

Customer service is likely a key pillar of your brand, but are you spending as much time and energy on keeping your current clients or consumers happy as you are investing ad dollars or time in obtaining a new audience?

Shifting your focus to your current audience and how you can keep them happy and engaged with your brand will help ensure that your brand is worth talking about.

Investing in your customer service experience can give you a huge return on investment down the line as people share their experience with others.

For example, the hotel chain DoubleTree by Hilton is well known for greeting guests with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at check-in. This thoughtful touch has given them a warm reputation (pun intended), making their customers feel like they’re being taken care of.

Ask for feedback

Whether it’s after a service has been rendered or a product has been purchased, one of the most important questions you can ask is, “Would you be willing to share a testimonial or review?”

Hearing directly from your customers is an incredible way to get valuable insights about what your customers value in working with you, as well as any changes that could be made to further improve the customer experience.

Have an automatic email sequence send to those that purchase your products, offer an incentive for leaving a review, or reach out to individuals directly asking them to share their experience with you.

Connect with industry influencers

There is a growing population of influencers and micro-influencers in the online space. These are people who have highly engaged audiences who love to hear about what these people are doing and the products and services they’re using.

Consider finding a couple of these influencers who are in the same space as your product or service and offer to gift them your product or service in exchange for a post on their platform about it (assuming they like it).

Remember that it’s much more important to find an influencer with an active audience (more engaged fans), rather than one who has a lot of followers but whose followers are  passive and not engaging regularly with the content. One is an indication of true influence while the other is just a vanity metric.

Create a referral, affiliate, or ambassador program

A referral program is a great way to get a larger number of your customers to advocate for and share your brand. It generally involves offering a discount or bonus to customers who share the product or service with a friend.

Airbnb has a well-known referral program, giving every user a personal invite code to share with friends and family interested in trying the service. Not only does the original user receive a discount when their friend signs up, but the new user also receives a discount, creating an incentive on both ends to participate in the program.

An alternative is to create a more exclusive affiliate or ambassador program where customers apply to be considered. While this will mean less people are involved, it also will likely ensure that those who do sign up are genuine fans of your brand and will be more likely to actively share about you.

Lululemon has created an extensive and influential ambassador program, which is worth taking a look at if you’re looking to get into this space.

Capitalizing on content

Once you’ve put strategies in place for increasing word-of-mouth marketing, be sure to use the content you capture!

Regularly share testimonials on your social media platforms, pull particularly engaging quotes from testimonials and add them to your website, and share user generated content (whether obtained organically or through influencer marketing) on your accounts.

WOM: a key element as part of your broader marketing plan

Remember that the results of your word-of-mouth marketing efforts may not be visible right away. However, by continuing to focus on how you can improve your customer experience, giving those people a reason to share organically about your brand, and providing ways for them to do this easily, you’re building your brand and extending your reach even in your off hours.

Ask yourself: how can I create an experience worth sharing about? What can I do to get my brand to stand out?