Word of Mouth (WOM) advertising is the best and cheapest form of advertising. It requires little or no effort to get consumers’ patronage. Efforts are only needed to ensure that consumers get the utmost satisfaction from the consumption of goods or services.
Psychologically, humans interact with others and in the process of interaction, they tend to share their daily experiences with others. These interactions help consumers share the pleasure or experience derived from consuming a product. Referrals and recommendations are made to family and friends thereby generating more customers for the business or brand.
Word of Mouth advertising is not limited to interpersonal relationships as products or services can also be advertised with words of mouth via social media networks, blog posts, and likes. Some are paid for while some are not. People with a huge number of followers on their social media accounts are best suitable for this.
The owners of the social media pages however have to be people with a large fan base and lovers, not people whose followers do not trust to prevent denting the image of the business or brand.
The “Tested and Trusted” policy has also helped in promoting and advertising products to the masses. For example, on my way to Yaba on a particular Monday morning, a man with a portable microphone stood up on the BRT bus and was advertising a particular herbal medicine. He told us the benefits of the medicine and what it is composed of. Many people were sceptical about the products so he gave us a chance for us to test the product. He broke the seal of a medium-sized bottle and gave it to those interested and all of them gave their reviews immediately confirming that it works.
Another set of people begged for him to open another bottle for them to also test the potency of the medicine, he did and they also gave their testimonies. Over 90% of the passengers in the BRT that morning bought at least a bottle from him because they have tested it and they trust it. There is no doubt that lots of them will go to their various homes and tell their families and friends about it thereby drawing more customers to the seller.
Word of Mouth advertising however has its intricacies. As good as it is in promoting/making a business, it can also mar a business. Words are very powerful and can be very destructive. One negative review can nullify one thousand positive reviews as it can make people reconsider purchasing the products or services. For instance, whenever I want to get a facial cream for acne or pimples, I will surf the net to see its benefits and side effects. Once I see a negative review of the product, I oust the idea of getting it.
Sometimes, the reviews might not be enough to persuade me so I go to a pharmaceutical store around my house that gives honest reviews and I make my decision right there.
The effectiveness of word-of-mouth advertisement boils down to consumers’ interests, their perceptions, their culture, their locations, and the satisfaction derived from consumption.
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