We’re living in a digital age, and, to put it frankly, our society is ‘obsessed’ with social media. It’s how we communicate, buy things, and receive our knowledge. It means that as a brand, you HAVE to have a presence on social media to succeed. Therefore, it goes without saying, social media should be a crucial part of your marketing strategy.
As people communicate through social media, it is one of the most popular places to find word-of-mouth recommendations. Similarly, one post from a person’s account could reach thousands, even millions. It’s a tool that can massively amplify your word-of-mouth strategy, and here’s how.
Social media’s reach
In 2021, over 4.26 billion people used social media worldwide. This number is projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027—over half of the global population. While traditional word-of-mouth is effective, it is clear that social media has a far greater reach—it’s the next generation of word-of-mouth marketing. Thousands of people can engage in conversations about your brand at once, and are no longer limited to one-on-one interaction.
Therefore, with social media, word-of-mouth can travel exponentially fast, which could either have a positive or negative impact on a brand. This is why it is so important to get an idea of how customers feel about your brand, because negative feedback can have a detrimental effect.
How to use social media for word-of-mouth
There are various different ways to use social media to boost your word-of-mouth strategy. However, not all of these strategies will work for every company. So here are some tips that may have the greatest impact on your brand and customers.
Rewards/Referrals
You may see this more prominently on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, where sharing posts is more common. Rewards and referrals can come in many different forms, depending on your brand. This could be a giveaway, reward points, discount codes, or gift vouchers.
For instance, giveaways can massively promote word-of-mouth. A study found that of the participants in a giveaway, on average 62.13% share the promotion with a friend in order to suggest that they take part too. So, you not only get more engagement on your social media, but you also get referrals.
PayPal used a very effective referral program—every time someone signed up, they received $20, and if they referred a friend, they’d receive another $20. While they gave away between $60 and $70 million, by 2008 Paypal had a total of 254 million accounts, so the strategy undoubtedly paid off.
User-generated content (UGC)
UGC is content created by customers relating to the brand, and is then published on social media. This could be contests (i.e. giveaways), hashtag trends, and influencer ads. Again, it depends on what is best suited to your brand and customers. Some companies do this successfully, and others rely on traditional word-of-mouth. However, one method of UGC that has worked well for countless brands is influencer ads.
Influencer ads consist of an influencer (who reaches the same audience you want to reach) trying out your product and reviewing it for their followers. Brands can either pay influencers to advertise their product, or gift it for free, but in that case you have no say on what they say to their followers. From personal experience, I’m less likely to purchase the item from an obvious ad. However, if it is gifted from the brand to the influencer and they give it a positive review, I would be much more likely to believe what they’re saying.
Engage with customers
Engaging with customers is a great way to make them feel connected to your brand. One way you can do this is by tracking your mentions, and then replying to them. Additionally, by tracking your mentions, you can also see what your customer’s public opinions are about your brand, and if there are any changes that they desire and should be made.
You can also monitor your comments sections, responding to each comment. It’s not uncommon to receive negative and positive comments on social media. So, it’s important to respond to ALL the comments, thank them for their kind comments, or help them resolve an issue they may have. Social media can be a fickle mistress, and a mismanaged social profile can negatively affect your brand reputation. Hence, engaging with customers on social media is the most effective way to manage your reputation.
Final Thoughts
Social media can massively amplify your word-of-mouth marketing if you do it right. It can reach thousands of people and is one of the most popular ways people can discuss your brand. There are many different strategies to amplify your word-of-mouth marketing on social media. However, certain methods may work better than others for your business. This is why it’s crucial to get an understanding of your customers, and their opinions surrounding your brand. If you don’t have many followers on your profile, the first thing would be to engage and grow your followership before engaging in a rewards campaign.
Furthermore, to prevent negative dialogue surrounding your brand, monitor your comments and mentions on these social media channels. LISTEN to your customers, and don’t just try to win them over with free things and discounts. Word-of-mouth is more than what you do and say, it’s how you interact with your audience.
Chloe Mumford
Author