Influencer marketing. How word-of-mouth marketing can strengthen your organization's brand.

摘要

Modern day marketing is not so modern. It started in the Garden of Eden when Eve tasted the forbidden fruit and enticed Adam through persuasion, temptation and curiosity to try it for himself. So began the phenomenon of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing that continued for centuries with stories, oral histories, fables, songs and fairytales shared from generation to generation—well before the written word.Fast forward to 2013 when superstar Beyonce—with one short Instagram photo captioned "Surprise"— announced her new album solely via word of mouth. The results? More than one million tweets in 12 hours and 800,000 copies sold in three days.While those with influence and celebrity (think Oprah's "favorite things") can hold sway over the hearts and minds of fans and followers, the popularity of WOM allows everyone to become influencers.WOM marketing is amplified by the Internet and social media. Celebrity status and influence isn't relegated to appearances on E!, and powerful business and political icons. Chat-worthy comments come from anyone whose messages are read and spread.