Imagine this; a very close friend of yours bought these new pair of sneakers which are not from any popular brand but, a new local one. Now, he recommends you that brand to make your next purchase; whenever that would be. There is a 90% chance that you’d believe your friend and follow his recommendation. 

That, right there, is what word-of-mouth marketing is all about. 

Several pieces of research have proved that consumers are likely to buy a product or take services from a particular brand if any of their close peers have recommended it. 

Even if we look at it in a very generic way, who would you rather believe in buying a product? A known peer or a brand advertisement? 

Word of mouth marketing is one of the most underrated marketing techniques that a lot of businesses, especially the new ones, tend to overlook. 

And, that’s why, today, we’ll discuss the very topic of the word of mouth marketing, what it is, why is it important, and the role of graphic design in creating successful word of mouth marketing for a brand. 

What is a word of mouth marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing, a.k.a WOMM, is a form of marketing wherein a consumer's interest in a company's product or service is reflected in their daily dialogues. The “Word of Mouth Marketing Association” defines WOMM as any marketing activity that aims to earn recommendations from customers. 

In simple words, WOMM is free advertising done by customers on the basis of their experiences with the brand. 

Companies can encourage WOM marketing through exceeding expectations on a product, providing good customer service, and giving exclusive information to consumers. 

Word of mouth is usually triggered by an event experienced by the customer. Whether it’s an amazing customer service or a free gift with purchase, triggers set your brand apart from the competition and keep you top of mind. Plus, they make for great talking points and organic word of mouth. 

A very relevant example to explain WOMM is that of dining at a restaurant. 

So, let’s say you had a wonderful time at a restaurant and the quality of food didn’t just meet but, exceed your expectations such that you’d want to share it with your friends and peers. Now, that could be done by tweeting about it or put a check-in on Facebook. 

Additionally, you may even leave a review on Yelp letting more number of people in the neighborhood, who are not directly connected with you, about the great quality of food and service provided at the restaurant.

Also, word-of-mouth marketing does not stop at the first interaction; it tends to lead to a cascade of follow-on interactions.

Importance of word of mouth marketing

Remember the example of eating at a restaurant we discussed in the last point? Well, that clearly shows the importance of word of mouth marketing, especially, in today’s digital era. 

Whereas word of mouth used to be limited by the number of places you went and people you physically interacted with, times have changed. 

Now, thanks to online and social media, what you share can reach millions in mere seconds.

With every share, repost, or retweet, word-of-mouth marketing carries the potential for exponential growth. 

Despite some people’s idea of WOMM as an outdated tactic, it actually continues to be relevant until today. 

It is, also, very important to understand for marketers that the technique of WOMM helps cut-short the time a consumer takes to make a decision. 

If we understand this from a buyer’s journey funnel, viz., discover, explore, evaluate, engage, buy, we’ll see that through word of mouth marketing, the first three steps of the funnel can most likely be avoided and the customer would directly reach to the engaging stage. At the least, the first step can be avoided for sure.

Role of graphic design in word of mouth marketing

Let’s be very frank here, at the end of the day, it’s all about the visuals and the appearance that helps clear the first stage; customer attraction. 

For the loop of word-of-mouth marketing to begin, it has to first grab the attention of one buyer. And, professional graphic design helps with that. 

Be it through a social media post, a billboard banner design, a flyer design, etc. it all boils down to how your brand appears to the consumers. 

By creating custom designs that are gripping enough to be talked about, marketers drive attention towards their brand. 

Using professionally designed graphics, also, helps in establishing the authenticity of your brand by reflecting how serious a venture is in being of service to its clients. 

A poorly-designed visual can reflect half-baked work or make a brand look amateur or even incompetent. A well-made design, on the other hand, shows that the brand means business; that the brand cares about its clients enough to invest in well-crafted visuals.

 

To conclude…

GraphicsZoo has helped over 17000 small businesses and new brands to not only establish a strong customer base for themselves through professional designs but, also spread the word around through effective WOMM. 

To know more on how we can help your business reach a wider audience, get in touch today at support@graphicszoo.com