Word-of-mouth marketing is the only yet extremely effective way to attract and engage with audiences organically. Nowadays, as a brand, companies need to attract customers and pay for their marketing. Reaching target audiences organically and inviting them to engage with a brand has become somehow impossible.
However, word-of-mouth marketing is a term that can help the marketing ecosystem as social media platforms are growing, and they can influence billions of users simultaneously. This effective marketing method is also considered to be helpful in Middle East. In this post, Zigma8 shows you how to use word-of-mouth marketing in Middle East to your advantage.
What Is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?
Word of mouth marketing or WOM is a free or semi-free marketing method where users of a brand are encouraged to share their experiences of a brand with friends, peers, family, etc. this will trigger the experience-sharing by users, and it is considered to be the most credible form of marketing derived from the authentic user experiences.
WOM is a strategic method leading to influencing users of a brand to spread positive conversations about a product or a service to others organically which makes it much more reliable and trustworthy. The goal is to enhance the brand image.
Why Is Word-of-Mouth Marketing Important in Middle East?
Generally speaking, having a positive image of a brand is of prime importance. People all around the globe tend to trust the words of other people, especially when they are at the decision, aching steps on their buyer journey.
Word-of-mouth marketing can help people trust more when they are willing to make a purchase, especially online. Ogilvy Cannes Study showed that over 70% of consumers trust WOM for buying decisions. In another report about the effect of WOM on consumers, Nielsen stated that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends and family overpaid marketing. With all that in mind, WOM plays a key role in driving shopping decisions in Middle East. It is a successful marketing strategy in Middle East that businesses leverage to increase sales through UGC (user-generated content). Now, let us walk you through the unique advantages of word-of-mouth marketing in Middle East.
What Are the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Benefits in Middle East?
Here is a list of some advantages of the WOM that can bring you the desired outcome.
- Free
In many cases, word-of-mouth marketing does not require any investment in advertising. It will be organically generated by the users of a brand.
2. Loyalty
When customers are satisfied with a service or product, they will contribute to word-of-mouth marketing. Happy consumers will become loyal to a brand and will stay with it for the long term.
3. Community
WOM in Middle East will allow businesses to build online brand communities to have brand advocates on digital spaces like Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram. Here brands have to control the online convo since negative comments will get viral as well.
4. Sales and Conversions
The most important advantage of word-of-mouth marketing in Middle East is increasing conversions and sales through positive comments. We are sure that people tend to turn to their friends and peers for recommendations.
So far, we have explored the word of mouth marketing in Middle East, its necessity, and how it will benefit your brand. It is time to help you find your way and achieve the mentioned benefits by creating your unique word-of-mouth marketing strategy in Middle East.
How to Build a Word-of-Mouth Marketing in Middle East?
Triggering a conversation about a product or service among consumers can be a daunting task. Zigma8, the internationally recognized advertising and branding agency, prepared a list of ways to build your word-of-mouth marketing strategies.
- Define Your USP
When an innovative product comes to the market, people will start to talk about it. Similarly, any trending topic can become a talking point for people for conversations and opinion sharing. Brands can use this to define and highlight their USP (unique selling proposition) and promote it. When people see the USP, this will excite them to discuss or share it with others.
2. Create Campaigns
Campaigns won’t get viral on their own; they need to be created. Integrating elements and trending topics into a campaign will allow it to enhance its chances of going viral. Newsworthy topics, humor, or trending subjects will make people talk about them on social media and create a great amount of WOM content.
3. Triggering Visuals
Visuals have proved to be the most engaging form of content, especially videos which are known as the future of marketing in Dubai. Using creative visual content can help brands attract audiences and increase the chance of going viral.
4. Catchy Storytelling
Consumers share their experiences with others, and tapping into their sentiments through creative storytelling can create an emotional experience to be shared. Sentimental campaigns trigger people’s emotions and become viral quickly. Connecting consumers to your advertising messages can generate positive WOM for exposure and engagement, especially in social media.
5. Encourage User-Generated Content
UGC is a known way of WOM marketing. The more UGC on a brand in websites or social media channels, the higher chance it has of going viral and creating popular conversations. Encouraging users to share their opinions, ideas, experiences, and feelings on digital spaces and tag the brand can help businesses to promote WOM marketing and showcase authenticity, and inspire more sales. This will help brands to build trust and loyalty and drive positive conversations.
6. Influencers
The industry of influencers is influential and successful on social media with a massive audience base. People will also trust the words of influencers about brands and products. Identifying the key influencers suitable for a specific product or service category and asking them to share their reviews, experiences, and opinions can start positive WOM marketing and drive sales.
7. Incentives
Customers love gifts, offers, giveaways, discounts, coupons, and rewards. When brands reward their customers, they feel gratified and share their positive feeling with others. Sharing these exciting features can bring brands exposure and awareness with a great brand image gained through WOM marketing.
Generally speaking, the success of WOM marketing in Middle East relies on the good experiences and intentions of the consumers.
Your ultimate goal should be to deliver exceptional customer experience through every touch-points that fulfill the needs of the consumers. When people take responsibility for a brand or a product, this is when a business becomes a brand. This is the magic of word-of-mouth marketing. To win the game, focus on consumers’ experience, and they will build your brand for you.
