Welcome to the wonderful world of word-of-mouth marketing, an enchanting place where gossip can be turned into piles of gold. 

It is currently estimated that over $6 trillion of consumer spending can be attributed to this type of marketing strategy, meaning that it accounts for a staggering 13% of all sales.

In fact, Brad Frey, the co-author of a recent study about the impact of word-of-mouth conversations, concluded that:

'By cracking the social code and understanding how word-of-mouth truly drives business outcomes, brand marketers have an opportunity to greatly improve sales performance and efficiency.

Understandably, you may want a slice of this lucrative pie. We get it. After all, it does look incredibly tempting.

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But before you take your first bite, we urge you to read this blog to explore how exactly this marketing tactic can effectively convert rave reviews into revenue. 

What is word-of-mouth marketing?

Wait a second, you haven’t heard of word-of-mouth advertising? Where exactly have you been? This incredible form of marketing has taken the business world by storm, with over 83% of marketers using this strategy to get their products out to the masses. 

But what exactly does this marketing strategy entail? Well, it is essentially the art of utilizing positive conversation to a product or service and gain brand awareness. 

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Let me explain further with a fictional anecdote. Have you heard about the new Italian restaurant called Pasta La Vista? No? Well, that is surprising because it has become the talk of the town. 

You see, it all started when Malcolm had ‘the best meatballs of his life’. He raved about it to Tony, who then told Paula, who just had to mention it to Abdul, and so on and so on until the entire town knew about this exquisite Italian cuisine. Before you could say ‘the world’s best meatballs’, the restaurant was full of endless reservations for months to come. 

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This is the power of word-of-mouth marketing, where one positive experience from a happy customer can spread like wildfire and create mass interest. This chain reaction provides brands with a completely free and organic form of advertising that, when harnessed correctly, can be incredibly effective. 

The different types of word-of-mouth marketing strategies

Now that we have established what exactly a word-of-mouth marketing campaign is, let’s dive a little deeper. Grab your diving gear as we plunge head-first into the different word-of-mouth strategies.

There are two main categories of word-of-mouth marketing, which are:

1. Organic: This refers to the natural, unforced spread of information about a product or service from person to person.

2. Amplified: This is when brands actively encourage word-of-mouth publicity through marketing campaigns. 

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However, there are countless different subcategories of word-of-mouth marketing campaigns, all of which can generate increased revenue for your brand.