Word-of-Mouth

Maximize Word-of-Mouth Advertising

Pick up any research on advertising effectiveness and you'll see word-of-mouth at the top of the list - oftentimes well ahead of whatever makes it to the #2 position.  One of the nicest things about word-of-mouth is it is essentially free!  So when advertising budgets are under so much pressure to perform, take advantage of something that costs you nothing and performs better than anything else.

A number of recent consumer research studies show online customer reviews are becoming increasingly influential in motivating people to purchase.  In fact one published by Rubicon Consulting (chart) shows online reviews in the #2 position behind word-of-mouth.

The implication is obvious - to truly maximize the benefits of word-of-mouth advertising you must focus on generating more and more positive offline and online guest reviews.  You need to embrace outlets like TripAdvisor as a positive marketing force and develop comprehensive strategies so your hotel reviews provide a competitive advantage.

Look at it from the traveler's perspective.  The majority want to read other traveler's reviews.  Do you offer reviews on your hotel's web site?  How many reviews do you have? How highly do you rank? Are you on the home page (Top 8) for your destination? 

It's time to develop a key influencers strategy, set goals and measure results.

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