Word of Mouth, The Farmers Market & Social Media
Aug 27, 2009 at 10:26AM
What do the farmers market, word of mouth, social media and business marketing have in common? Read on:
So, last Saturday I took my good friend Jami to the Traverse City Farmer's Market for her very 1st time (you're welcome Jami).
As soon as we got there I told her that I needed to make sure we stopped by the booth that the Amish people had because they have the best home made granola you have ever tasted! As we continued through the market I was building up the anticipation of the visit to their booth...and now she wanted some granola too!
So, we finally make it to the booth and there were about 10 people in line. I start talking to the people around me about the granola and quickly engaged with everyone in line about how good this stuff is and how I make sure to buy the biggest bag of it so it can last until I get back to the market. No biggie right......Well check this out:
EVERY person in the line bought a bag of granola on my recommendation! Ye ole "word of mouth advertising" at it's finest. Would they have bought it anyways if I wasn't there? Maybe some of them would but, because I spoke up, they all took action.
Now, let's shift this theory to using Social Media for Business Marketing...the hottest topic since Clinton's cigar :)
- People listen when someone speaks out...I just demonstrated that
- Statistics show that the trust factor online is 3 times that of face to face interaction
- Social Media has now taken over the #1 spot as far as activity on the internet...it just beat out porn &
- By 2010 Gen Y'ers will outnumber Baby Boomers .....96% of them are on a Social Network (Hint: they are your customers)
Those 4 points alone should give you a pretty good idea that it's definitely time to explore the world of Social Media marketing. With Social Media, "word of mouth" becomes "world of mouth" and your opportunities becomes infinite!
Things change, trends evolve and businesses must adapt. As businesses gravitate towards this type of "world of mouth" advertising it will become very apparent that the first one's in each industry will quickly rise to the top as #1 in their markets. What are people saying about your brand online?
So, get there and get there fast because this little secret is leaking out all over the place. Right now is when you need to begin, why put it off another day?
Copyright © 2009, Michelle Corteggiano & Jodi Mallow Maas. All rights reserved.
Reader Comments (13)
This validates what I believed, although I'm really surprised the trust factor is 3 to 1 in the online recommend vs. face to face. I'm forwarding this to quite a few people who need to hear this...
The marketing tips given in the most lovable ways, starts with a conversation and links to social media marketing through word of mouth and it's most prevalent among the people nowadays to go about with others sayings and thoughts and this is the best idea I think so. Nice reading your article.
I agree that social media is the new "word of mouth." However, please don't discount the boomer generation who use computers and have buying power.
Also, I don't understand this means: With Social Media, "word of mouth" becomes "world of mouth" and your opportunities becomes infinite.
I completely agree with is everyone online nowadays and trust is definitely higher online than face to face. the y generation are definitely the next big group of customers to look for and they will be telling all their friends about products, sales, and such on their social sites.
Strongly Agree. The word of mouth is visible everywhere, from farmer's market to a jeans show room. Social Networking sites also gain popularity from it. The fame of a social networking site depends upon how well people know about it. In my college I have seen a lot of websites gaining popularity, just on the recommendation of seniors to the juniors.
Good article! Anyone in business who doesn't take advantage of your advice is going to waste time and advertising dollars. The info you presented is a real eye opener. Thanks!
What you say is true. Word of mouth advertising is taking off and it will be to our best advantage to use it in the best way. proof is that I'm reading this article and I believe in the words that are there.
What a great article! The points you bring up are very good ones, and they really made me think. I was intrigued to read your post just to see how word of mouth, the farmers market & social media all fit together into one cohesive thought, and it was a very thought provoking and informative article. I think we underestimate the power of both social media and word of mouth, and you had great proof that we shouldn't underestimate either of these things separately, and that together, they could be very powerful tools. Thanks for posting this!
World of Mouth = Word of mouth on the Internet...taking your word world wide with 1 click of the mouse
It is very true, and I personally believe word of mouth to be the most powerful tool for advertising. It is still the most genuine form of campaigning. Social Media overtaking porn as the most sought after topic over internet is a pleasant surprise.
Just because more Gen Y'ers are the greatest slice of the population, does not mean that they are my customers. Some businesses do quite well pursuing a niche strategy that targets an underserved market. An underserved market exists when everyone else is pursuing the larger market.
I don't disagree with your fundamental point about word-of-mouth and social media, depending on the product or service and the target market.
Word of mouth is want the market world was built on. You bring up very good points on how this happens. From friends to family members even to strangers. Thank You for showing how this still works and how it can work via the internet.
Great article about Social Media and farmers markets. For the longest time, I sat on the sidelines when it came to Social Media. I felt MySpace was for kids, Twitter was a strange name that had nothing to do with me, and wasn't interested in FaceBook. I felt this way, when for the last 12 years, I have made a living making Web technologies available to people. I took a few years to focus on my farm, and realized I wasn't using my background to help my favorite people - farmers. So, I got off the sidelines by starting a Social Media site specifically to help connect farms and communities.
Sincerely,
Mike Murphy