Increase Sales Blog

Marketing is all about attracting attention (positive) with the goal to increase sales.  One of the best ways is word of mouth (WoM).  A posting late last year to this blog Return on Behavior said that spending on WoM in 2008 rose by 14.2% to $1.54 billion in the US despite the recession. Additionally, there is a prediction that this figure may almost double to $3 billion by 2013. (Source: PQ Media and WOMMA)

Wikipedia defines Word of Mouth (WoM) as the passing of information from person to person. In modern marketing, WoM is all about getting that buzz, spreading your marketing message like a virus (viral marketing) where very quickly everyone knows about you. This is one reason why having search engine friendly websites to including social media into your overall marketing action plan goals are so critical in today’s technology driven society.

WoM marketing is also directly connected to building customer loyalty. When your loyal customers tell others about your products or services, then they are spreading the good news that is priceless. Of course, you may need to encourage them through reward or incentives programs such as frequent fliers miles, customer service satisfaction online surveys with the promise of a 15% coupon (thank you J.C. Penney), etc.

The encouragement practice is newer as WoM always existed. Now innovative marketers are looking as to how to expedite that buzz. To learn more about this newer marketing strategy, you may wish to read Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking by Andy Sernovitz.

Finally, WoM helps to strengthen your own brand. In a highly crowded and competitive marketplace, you truly must Be the Red Jacket in a Sea of Gray Suits and WoM helps you do just that. Sales Training Coaching Tip: Remember, you must continually strive to be ahead of the flow and not just with the flow.

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