“Word-of-mouth” marketing- How to scale this strategy in the construction industry in Kenya

In my last article about brand affinity, I talked about how companies in the construction industry are over-reliant on word of mouth and referrals as a marketing strategy. The problem is not the strategy itself — it’s the execution. Most companies “hope” that a client will promote their brand through their networks.

However, word-of-mouth marketing can be done by smart design.

Research has shown that word-of-mouth is still considered to be one of the most reliable, dependable, credible, and effective ways to spread the message about a product or service or a brand. What is different in today’s world is the ability to leverage physical and digital experiences, combined with traditional, digital and social communication tactics. The end goal is to make clients be ambassadors, promoters, or advocates of your products, services or brand, in a natural manner (i.e. without trying to sell).

So, the only tried & tested approach of scaling word-of-mouth marketing strategy is through high influential clients or opinion leaders. How you design this approach is you grab their attention with some unique experiences. These experiences should leave a lasting impression in their minds and hearts. When that happens, they tell the story of their experience to their networks. But remember that their story must be told in a subtle, credible, and appropriate way. Throughout the story, your brand association needs to be brought out in a natural, unforced manner.

This approach can also be coupled with creating memories of customers (through photos & videos) as they experience your products or services — this helps in the scaling part of this strategy. What is key here is you should design fantastic experiences to raise customers’ opinion about your brand, and encourage them to share their stories.

In today’s world, we don’t just tell stories. We create them.

Check out the following links and see how designing experiences with an influencer can elevate your brand: