Pass it on – WOM has something to say

Influencers  are more efficient than other direct marketing techniques in getting a brand’s message across, Sharyn Smith (pictured), CEO of word of mouth marketing (WOM) company, Soup, has observed.

Influencers are recognised as people with a high level of influence in their social networks. They also have a social network that is 74% larger than the average person, rely heavily on WOM from others, and are more likely to pass information on than the general population. On top of this, new research commissioned by Australian WOM marketing company, Soup, has revealed that influencers have double the amount of branded conversations a week than the average Australian.  

“The research demonstrates the power of a group of people who are vital to unlocking the power of WOM – the influencers. Key to Soup’s WOM success has been building a community of these influencers and involving them with the brands with which they work,” Smith said.

These influencers are also far more effective in gaining brand exposure than other channels of direct marketing. “From a direct marketing point of view, engaging a group of people with a higher reach is a much more efficient way to get the message across,” Smith said.

“It’s the holy-grail of marketing to have people talking about you in a positive way,” Smith added.

One of the more surprising findings of the research was that Australians have more conversations than our US counterparts. Australians have an average of 67.8 branded conversations a week while Americans have 65.7.

To gain these insights 2,800 Australian consumers between the ages of 16 and 69 were asked to keep a diary of their past day’s conversations – this included social media, face-to-face, phone and email.

Apple was the number 1 brand with the highest positive WOM, followed by Coles. Smith commented that Coles has gained an “incredible amount of momentum out of the coverage from MasterChef.” Regarding Apple’s position at number 1, Smith concluded “people are willing to embrace a brand that responds to consumer’s needs,” and that “Australians are very open to new products and new ideas.”