Word of mouth really matters

When it comes to ‘mission critical marketing', there are a number of tools and techniques that libraries can use to retain and gain customers.  Beatrice Pulliam and Jenifer Bond wrote about strategic marketing for us last month and shared their experiences and ideas for ‘spreading the word' at ILI2011.Meanwhile, some interesting research was released this week by Keller Fay - a consultancy and research company that focuses on the power of ‘word of mouth' marketing.They have been conducting tracking studies in the UK and have just announced some of their latest findings at a conference in London, along with a list of the ‘most talked about brands'.The study suggests that ‘the average UK adult' talks about brands 78 times per week, and that 94% of these ‘mentions' happen in face-to-face situations.Positive word of mouth is extremely powerful.  Recipients attribute credibility to personal recommendations.  According to Keller Fay, organisations and marketers must learn what actually triggers the conversations (advertising/social media campaigns for example).Happy consumers of your products and services really are a wonderful asset!