Social media itself isn't word of mouth — it's one way that word of mouth spreads. #wordofmouth
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In our social media-dominated world, most people have the impression that word of mouth has transitioned from in-person conversations to retweets and direct messages. They believe that social media IS word of mouth. Not true.
Social media garners plenty of attention and marketing budgets. But offline chatter is an equal, and sometimes more impactful, driver of awareness and preference.
It’s not that social media and online word of mouth don’t matter; they do. In fact, half of all word of mouth takes place online. However, research shows that offline word of mouth is more persuasive. According to a study by the Keller Fay Group, 50 percent of consumers say they are very likely to make a purchasing decision based on a real-life conversation. Meanwhile, 43 percent of consumers feel the same way after an online discussion.
It’s also important to understand that social media itself isn’t word of mouth; it’s one way that word of mouth spreads. Word of mouth is a story or verbal recommendation. Social media is a conveyance mechanism for that stor… Read More