For as long as I can remember, animal owners have chosen friends or family members as the first persons they contact when they have a question about their animals, because of trust. These interactions encompass unintentional word of mouth.
A current TV ad from AT&T ends with likely sarcasm with the statement, “Word of Mouth advertising. . . it’s what they did before commercials.”
Don’t be fooled, word of mouth remains an important influence in animal health decisions.” – Kirk Augustine
Source: iSpot.TV. Link. Watch the video commercial here.
Also see: Word-of-mouth advertising, Entrepreneur. Link. Word-of-mouth advertising is important for every business, as each happy customer can steer dozens of new ones your way. And it’s one of the most credible forms of advertising because a person puts their reputation on the line each time they make a recommendation and that person has nothing to gain but the appreciation of those who are listening.
Also see: Word-of-Mouth Marketing, Investopedia, March 29, 2020. Link.
- Word-of-mouth marketing (WOM marketing) is when consumers talk about a company’s product or service to their friends.
- WOM marketing is one of the most powerful forms of advertising as 92% of consumers trust their friends over traditional media.
- Companies can encourage WOM marketing through exceeding expectations on a product, providing good customer service, and giving exclusive information to consumers.