Offline as important as online WOM efforts

Marketers who are focusing all of there energies on online word-of-mouth efforts could be missing the boat according to a recent report from eMarketer. The report indicates that offline WOM efforts are as important as online.

by Kristina Knight

With the increasing number of blogs and consumer review sites on the web many marketers are concentrating all of their efforts with these kinds of word-of-mouth efforts. And with 66 million adults sharing information online it is understandable why online may take precedence. However, marketers need to be just as aware of how their products and brands are faring offline. Though the online influencers may seem to have cornered the market on advice, the report explains that traditional advertising can actually influence the influencers.

These influencers are 64% more likely to begin researching products online after hearing an ad on television or the radio. Compare that to the only 30% who begin researching products because of seeing online ads.

And who are these influencers?

They only make up about 18% of the online population however these consumers read newspapers (84%) and visit broadcast news websites (48%) several times each month. These influencers want to help others. They don't post consumer reviews to see their name or online handle, they post reviews or blog about products because they believe in them. Keying in to this demographic and getting them on your side will likely impact your product sales.