WOM Research

Word of Mouth Research: Brand names that are easy to pronounce outperform complex brand names on the NYSE

A study highlighted in Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive — the fantastic book by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini — revealed that companies with names that were easy to pronounce outperformed companies with complicated names on the stock market. In both controlled studies using fictitious company names…

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Word of mouth research: How Etsy is an international word of mouth phenomenon

Etsy – the online marketplace where people set up shops to sell handmade goods – is a global word of mouth phenomenon according to the company’s 2009 International Seller Survey results and highlighted by Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb. When international sellers were asked how they first heard about Etsy, an overwhelming 57% cited word of mouth and blogs. In…

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Word of mouth research: Social media spending outpacing other interactive channels

Social media spending in the US will increase from $716 million this year to more than $3.1 billion in 2014 – that’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% – according to a forecast from Forrester Research released last week. Other findings include: At 27%, mobile marketing will be the second-fastest-growing budget item At 17% CAGR…

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Word of mouth research: A fan is worth $2,634 in the computer hardware industry

People who are highly likely to recommend a company and/or its products are worth $2,634 in the computer hardware industry according to a Satmetrix Systems study, Net Promoter Economics: The Impact of Word of Mouth. The study is based on Satmetrix’s Net Promoter WOM Economic Framework, which determines total customer value based on buyer and referral…

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The word of mouth time scale

Sean Moffitt of Buzz Canuck shares an in-depth look at the time scale of word of mouth in its various forms. Sean’s scale (pictured) begins with viral, which he describes as having the potential to widely spread but having the shortest lifespan and the highest level of unpredictability — up to customer evangelism, where through…

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Word of mouth research: The effects of online reviews on book sales

Online book reviews are, on average, overwhelmingly positive and have a significant impact on individual book sales. That’s according to a 2006 study by Yale professors Judith A. Chevalier and Dina Mayzlin published in the Journal of Marketing Research. The study focused on the effect of word of mouth on online book sales by examining…

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Word of mouth research: WOM is the biggest influencer in apparel and electronics purchases

When buying apparel and electronics, consumers look primarily to their peers for information about products, retailers, and past shopping experiences. That’s according to a study by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association and BIGresearch. Findings from the study include: At 44.4%, WOM is the number one influencer in electronics purchases At 34.4%, WOM is the…

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From the archives: Word of mouth from strangers can be more influential than opinions from close friends

Recommendations from people we barely know can be more influential than opinions from our close friends, according to a study by Jacob Goldenberg (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Barak Libai (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology), and Eitan Muller (Tel Aviv University). The study focused on comparing the personal communication between closer and stronger communications that are within…

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Featured Downloads

9 Things to Share That Start Conversations

Use the examples in this guide to help inspire ways to make your message more portable and shareable.

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3 Must-Use Word of Mouth Marketing Tools

These tools will help you kick off any word of mouth campaign no matter what topic, industry, or budget.

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The Top Four Tips for Multiplying Your Word of Mouth

These tips can help you get your marketing to do more work without a lot of extra effort.

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10 Ways to Turn Around Negative Word of Mouth

The most effective ways to stop negative WOM with examples from Zappos, FedEx, Dell, and more.

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The New Topics Worksheet

All word of mouth starts with a topic of conversation — a simple, portable, repeatable idea that gets people talking.

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The Word of Mouth Action Plan

Create a complete word of mouth marketing plan using this worksheet’s eight simple steps.

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