By Kevin Stevenson

Consciously or subconsciously, we are constantly influenced by the people around us, be it family members or friends or colleagues or even neighbors. Back in the days, when the Internet was yet to be born, people had to interact face-to-face and make connections through word-of-mouth communication, which worked out pretty well. Now it’s more of people-to-computer, but the idea is the same and much more convenient. Since social influence is ingrained in every single human, word-of-mouth marketing is a highly effective tool! The majority of us trust recommendations from friends and family more than any other form of marketing.

1. Know Your Brand. You need to know your brand inside out. Be clear about what your brand stands for, what are its values, what products or services you provide and how can it help people. This will help you present your brand in a way that your audience can appreciate. Trust can be easily built once you’re sure of what you are, since people dig confidence.
2. Prioritize Psychology Before Technology. A whole lot of time must be dedicated to doing research on the minds of your audience and what actually makes them share. Consumer behavior needs to be studied on a regular basis since it changes according to new trends. This makes it easier to hit the right spot of your target audience. Anyone can send a bunch of emails, but going that extra mile by personally interacting with your customers and finding out what they expect from you can come in very handy. Find out what drives people to share content or stories and use these elements to your advantage.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.