1. WHAT IS WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING?
One of the new buzzwords you hear in online marketing is word of mouth marketing. It is usually
bundled with content creation when companies list it as a service, but few businesses really know what
it means. Here is a brief explanation of what word of mouth means to your online business presence,
and how creative content creation can help you get even more from it.
Vertical marketing doesn't work online
The first thing you have to realize is that studies have finally shown that vertical marketing is not
effective online. Vertical marketing is when you put out an ad and customer behavior is influenced by
it. It is how almost all marketing is done in print or off-line. Horizontal marketing is effective online,
and it is also called word of mouth marketing because that is the most accurate description of how it
works. One person, who is influential in a community, talks about your brand and shares information
about it. That information is then passed around – whether the person needs your services or not – but it
reaches more people who wouldn't have already identified themselves as potential customers. The
technical name for this process is “social proof.”
Why is social proof so effective online?
Social proof is the process by which an influencer points to items of interest to their followers. They
don't dictate support or purchase, but they draw attention to an item. The followers then can participate
in the discussion, share the content, or even engage with the content. Social proof is the process by

2. which one trusted and respected member puts forth something they think may benefit their followers.
Social media and the online world are ideally set up for this type of information marketing because the
hierarchy is fluid and horizontal, not vertical. Sites that use vertical approaches online usually are only
successful if they are membership driven sites. Then the site issues a decree and it goes down the line
to the members to be acted on. If you are looking to reach more people and increase your brand
awareness, word of mouth marketing is the faster and more effective approach.
Creating effective campaigns
To create an effective campaign you have to have original and engaging content. Content is now one of
the strongest points in generating your Quality Score. You have to have constant creative content
creation that is then put out to the right influencers to get the notice and traffic you want. Many
companies make the mistake of trying to keep creative content creation in-house. It is not that you can't
do it, but content written by companies tends to see a very small picture. To be effective with social
proof, you have to see the large picture of what your potential followers will be interested in.
Don't forget that limits are your power
Believe it or not, one of the best things you have going for you in creative content creation and word of
mouth marketing are the limits of your budget. The more you can identify your limits, the better the
campaign because it won't try to be what you can't afford, and you won't be spread too thin.
HireInfluence can help any company of any size, with any budget, create a word of mouth campaign
that will deliver results.