8 Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategies That Really Work

By Katherine Nwanorue

Word-of-mouth marketing (sometimes referred to as WOMM) remains an effective marketing tactic to drive sales and brand awareness. As more and more conversations occur online, WOMM has evolved beyond one-on-one talks to include online posts, tags, and tweets.

Think of items you bought in the past. Maybe you got those comfy shoes after your friend talked about them? Or you booked a hotel because a colleague tweeted about enjoying their stay?

That is the power of word-of-mouth marketing. People are happy to share experiences that exceed their expectations. They become brand advocates and spread the word to their network—both online and offline.

Likewise, most people rely on recommendations from family, friends, and even strangers to make purchasing decisions. According to Nielsen, 83% of consumers say they trust the recommendations of family and friends; 66% say they also rely on the opinion of others online.

Many companies use word-of-mouth marketing strategies to encourage conversations and promote their brand. Here are some effective strategies that have helped other small businesses succeed.

8 word-of-mouth marketing strategies

1. Set up talk triggers

The essence of word-of-mouth marketing is to get people talking. And the best way to encourage this is through something known as "talk triggers."

Talk triggers are differentiating actions that stir up conversations. They're unique encounters that are interesting enough to be shared with friends, family, and online.

According to Daniel Lemin, co-author of Talk Triggers, talk triggers are more effective when they are:

• Remarkable—worth talking about
• Relevant—aligned with your company goals and mission
• Reasonable—within believable parameters
• Repeatable—consistent and available to all customers

Talk triggers that have these qualities have a better chance of inspiring long-lasting word-of-mouth.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Skip's Kitchen, a restaurant in Carmichael, California, stands out with its talk trigger. Just before customers place an order, they are presented with a deck of cards. A customer who picks a joker wins a free meal. About 2% of customers win, making it a cost-effective word-of-mouth marketing strategy. The excited winners often share their stories with others or leave outstanding reviews. To date, Skip's has never spent money on advertising.

2. Engage with storytelling

Marketing expert Seth Godin writes in All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World, "Stories (not ideas, not features, not benefits) are what spread from person to person." Great stories inspire, connect, and are memorable. As a result, brands with compelling stories grab the attention of their customers and build authentic connections.

Telling stories that resonate with your audience humanizes your brand. It could be a story about your mission, journey, or unique value proposition. Whatever it is, it is important for your customers to understand why you do what you do, and, most important, why they should care. Through storytelling, you can deliver this message in a way that inspires them to share with others.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Warby Parker's storytelling starts from the company's mission. When one of the founders was a student, he lost his prescription glasses during a backpacking trip. Due to the high cost of replacement, he suffered through an entire semester without glasses. Warby Parker was born out of this experience, and the company is known for producing high-quality, affordable glasses.

The best part of their story is the "Buy a Pair, Give a Pair" campaign, in which the company has partnered with nonprofits to donate a pair of glasses for each pair sold. Not only does this story capture the company's essence, but it also humanizes the brand and resonates with people with similar experiences. Warby Parker has sold over 5 million glasses worldwide.

3. Deliver an exceptional customer experience that goes above and beyond

Every customer expects quality service—deliver what they want, when, and how they want it. Most businesses meet these expectations. Since this is standard practice, no one talks about it.

But what would happen if you exceed your customers' expectations? How will they react if you deliver better than expected with a fast response, bonuses (e.g., handwritten notes, coupons, gifts), after-sales support, and empathy? They would be happy to share their experience with others, thereby generating positive word-of-mouth.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Chewy exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond for customers. Rather than vague reviews, Chewy customers have unique stories to tell about their experience with the pet products company. One of the most popular stories involves customer Joseph Inabnet.

Joseph had contacted Chewy to return an unopened bag of dog food after his dog passed away. Chewy told him to donate the food instead and refunded his money.

A few days later, they did something incredible. Chewy sent Joseph a painting of his deceased dog and a card to show their support. He was so touched by the heartwarming gesture, he shared it on Facebook. The post garnered over 364k likes, 210k shares, and mentions in several publications. Naturally, people who saw Joseph's post would think of Chewy first before other pet supplies brands.

4. Encourage user-generated content (UGC)

Happy customers often create content—text, videos, pictures, reviews, etc.—to showcase their favorite products or services. These posts become user-generated content (UGC), which can reach a wider audience. UGC helps to promote engagement, establish trust, and amplify brand awareness. It creates a sense of community around your brand.

As users share your products and services, they drive word-of-mouth and build brand credibility in the minds of your potential customers. Ninety percent of consumers say that UGC influences their purchasing decisions more than search results and promotional emails.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Hosting a stranger or staying in their home may be difficult for some, but Airbnb makes it easy. The company uses a combination of storytelling and user-generated content to give travelers a glimpse of the Airbnb experience. Guests are encouraged to share pictures of their accommodations and experience with the hashtag #Airbnb. This gives Airbnb access to wonderful homes and stories from users all over the world. Regramming these stories (with permission) builds engagement and motivates others to book Airbnb homes anywhere in the world for their next stay.

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5. Collaborate with influencers and thought leaders

Influencers and industry experts are brand amplifiers. They have a loyal community of followers who trust their recommendations. Forty-nine percent of consumers rely on influencer recommendations, and this number is expected to rise with the growth of social media platforms.

Working with influencers can help you reach a wider audience, who in turn can generate more positive word-of-mouth for your business. Micro-influencers have better engagement rates. However, influencers and celebrities with a large following can also pull their weight.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Google partnered with @thesorrygirls—a digital media brand run by Kelsey MacDermaid and Becky Wright—to promote the Google Pixelbook. To qualify, contestants were instructed to like the giveaway post, follow @thesorrygirls, and comment on what they would do with a Pixelbook. By the contest deadline, the Instagram post had garnered over 11,137 likes, 7,916 comments, an engagement rate of 59.4%, and more buzz about Google Pixelbook.

6. Create loyalty and referral programs

What's better than recommending your favorite brand? Being rewarded for your recommendation.

Referral programs empower customers to spread the word about your business. It allows them to go beyond leaving reviews to actively attracting substantial leads. This helps you acquire new customers at a lower cost. Likewise, with a loyalty program, loyal customers who are recognized and rewarded for their support are likely to buy more and share their experiences with friends, family, and colleagues.

Although incentives motivate action, keep in mind that creating a positive experience matters. When your current customers are happy and satisfied, they will be more willing to promote your business to others.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Dropbox's referral program is impressive. The company rewards referrers and their referees with extra storage space. Within 15 months of launching the referral program, Dropbox went from 100,000 users to 4 million users. Signups also increased by 60%.

7. Build exclusivity

People believe that items with limited quantities are valuable. Accessing and sharing information about these items makes them look knowledgeable. This is why exclusivity remains a priceless social currency. Offering exclusive access to your products or services will encourage people to buy and tell others.

Word-of-mouth marketing success story:

Clubhouse is the latest app that has generated much buzz online. Unlike other social media apps, it is audio-based with virtual rooms where listeners can tune in to the conversations of influential people, like Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Mark Zuckerberg.

As if that's not interesting enough, access is strictly by invitation and for iPhone users only. Users have a limited number of invites with hundreds of bidders ready to pay to get one. Users want others to know they have access, while non-users are vying for invitations into the exclusive audio app. As a result, the number of Clubhouse users grew 10 times in 2 months from word-of-mouth while still in beta.

8. Give value

Communicating and delivering value is critical to word-of-mouth marketing. Your products and services should match promised benefits and address customers' needs. This helps to strengthen customer relationships and build credibility.

On the other hand, delivering underwhelming products that do not meet expectations leads to customer dissatisfaction, negative word-of-mouth, and poor reputation.

Word-of-mouth marketing success stories:

Some notable companies like Amazon, Apple, and LinkedIn live up to their unique value proposition.

Amazon's mission is to become "Earth’s most customer-centric company." The company aims to achieve this by offering products customers seek at the lowest possible prices with minimal stress. Amazon fulfills this promise with its flawless customer service and best prices.

Apple delivers on its brand promise of "Think different" by creating unique products that inspire users.

LinkedIn's mission is to "connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful." The company has done a good job of living up to this promise to date.

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