Marketers may spend millions of pounds on advertising campaigns yet arguably the biggest influence on a consumer’s decision costs nothing: a word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted source. The great value of the internet is that it facilitates mass word-of-mouth recommendation possibilities.  According to a recent article from management consultants Mckinsey, word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions. Read More

With the recent growth of social platforms marketers have realised that they need to learn how to maximise the potential of these mediums.  New media is  different from traditional media and many people are unsure of the purpose. Is it to build a prospect list, drive sales or improve customer relations? Read More

Have you ever been checking out of a shop when the cashier innocently asks whether you would like 15% off your next purchase? Of course you answer yes, after all who doesn’t want a deal? But then she asks you to jot down your email address … oh no, you know where this is leading … to a lifetime of junk mail. You pause, pen at your lip, wondering what to do, whether 15% off is worth it. Finally you write it down. Read More

Everywhere I look, every article I read, seems to hammer home the fact that peer influence marketing is becoming the most effective method of selling a brand. Word of mouth marketing has always been a reliable way to do business. Why? Because brands know that consumers would rather hear it from someone they know and trust. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes the three characters needed to start an epidemic. Read More

Yesterday I blogged about social media killing the newspaper star. In the days before that I blogged, tweeted, and facebooked about communities, brands engaging their clients, and the power of word-of-mouth, all of which are facilitated by social media platforms. It seems this is the new way to market. Even established news sources and stubborn minded entrepreneurs have given in. Does that then confirm that social media marketing is in fact the best practice, or rather that we’re all anxious to buy the hype? A flock of mindless sheep making their way up a mountain with no view of what’s ahead. Read More