When we think of marketing, we don’t usually think of speaking to other people as a particularly important method. TV advertisements, Billboards and Social Media are all favoured modes of advertising and this probably won’t change any time soon due to their ability to get information out to a large number of people. However, in recent months a simple game has managed to spread its way around the world without any ads. That game is Wordle, the highly addictive yet simple word game which seems to have the world talking weeks after its release. In this blog, we’ll explore how wordle is so successful and what it can teach us about the importance of word of mouth marketing.
What is Wordle?
Wordle is a simple word game created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle and is now owned by The New York Times Company. The game’s objective is to guess a five letter word within six attempts. If you get a letter correct and in the right place it will turn green, if you get a correct letter in the wrong place it will turn yellow. From these clues you must guess the word within your 6 tries and if you do, you win. It’s as simple as that. What makes it different from other games however is that there is only one word per day.
This, amongst other reasons, is what made the game so incredibly popular. With only one game per day, it both leaves you wanting more and allows you to compare your score with everyone else you know who plays the game. This is a unique aspect of the game. Usually, games that allow different levels of progress are difficult to discuss as two people will rarely be playing the same part at the same time. Instead, Wordle encourages people to talk to each other and this has created amazing word of mouth marketing for the game.
What is word of mouth marketing?
Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) or word of mouth advertising is a more complicated way of saying ‘recommending a product or service to someone’. Usually, word of mouth marketing also includes telling people you know either in person or online in order to convince them to use the product themselves. Although it can also simply mean discussing the brand in general amongst others in a way that introduces them to the brand. In today’s hyper-connected world with access to hundreds of people at your fingertips, a simple recommendation can have a huge impact. This is why in this day and age it’s important to create social media campaigns to get people talking.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family over any other type of advertising and 68% trust online opinions from other consumers. Even academic research into WOMM has proven its effectiveness in conversion. It’s easy to see then how Wordle has become as popular as it is. With people talking about it everyday to discuss that day’s word, it’s common for other people to ask ‘what’s wordle?’ to join the conversation. This really does highlight the power of word of mouth marketing. So, how can we use it in our own campaigns?
How to generate more word of mouth marketing?
The first simple way of allowing more word of mouth advertising is to show off your company’s reviews. Allowing reviews build brand trust by allowing people to see the words of real people. It’s difficult to form a good opinion on a brand with copy and images alone as brands are obviously going to make themselves look the best they can. Honest reviews from lots of different people can back up your branding and build brand trust, leading to more buzz and more sales.When we think of our own spending habits, it’s likely that when you’re looking for a product that you will seek out reviews from individuals who can give you a balanced opinion so the more reviews you have the better!
Boost social media and customer stories. Make an effort to repost customer reviews and highlight positive talk surrounding your brand. This builds up a sense of community in which customers feel like they are being listened to and are important. This is important for a strong sense of authenticity when individuals search for you online.
get people talking! Post engaging social media posts, ask questions and create content that gets people discussing your products. For example, if you’re a brand that caters to a more Gen Z audience, get yourself on Tik Tok and create content that gets people talking. Duolingo is a great example of this on Tik Tok as the account tends to focus on rather bizarre and funny content to generate comments and talk rather than talking about languages. This is a great way to build hype and positive talk about your product.
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