Word-of-Mouth Marketing: How to Get Happy Customers to Advocate for Your Business

Key highlights: 

1. 63% of businesses say word-of-mouth marketing has grown their customer base. 

2. Taking an active approach to encouraging customer reviews and referrals puts your business in the driver’s seat. 

3. Building a WOM marketing strategy starts with creating an epic experience for your customers. 

4. Sparking organic WOM among influencers can allow you to leverage their influence without their price tag. 

When it comes to attracting new customers, word-of-mouth recommendations remain as influential as ever. It’s the one form of marketing that hasn’t changed since the earliest days of human enterprise. 

With that said, how people share information about companies has changed a lot. 

Social networks and online review platforms have made it easier than ever for customers to tell the world about their positive experiences…and their negative experiences, too. 

Today, taking a passive approach and relying on a great customer experience alone to drive referrals isn’t enough. 

What you need is a comprehensive word-of-mouth marketing strategy. And in this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know to create and execute one.  

What is word-of-mouth marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing (also known as referral marketing or word-of-mouth advertising) simply boils down to customers sharing their experiences with others. 

Of course, this can take a lot of different forms in 2025. It can mean: 

• Personal recommendations made to friends and family

• Posting pictures and videos of products on social media

• Leaving customer reviews on platforms like Google and Amazon

• Participating in a referral program 

Anytime people are talking about your company in a positive light, it’s a form of organic word-of-mouth marketing that’s going to be beneficial. 

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Why word-of-mouth marketing matters

Today’s customers are understandably hesitant to trust what companies have to say about their own products.  

No matter how flashy your graphics are or how well-refined your messaging, content that you publish yourself can only go so far toward earning customer trust.  

Personal recommendations, on the other hand, have a much more reliable impact on purchasing decisions. 

According to McKinsey’s State of the Consumer 2025 survey, 50% of US customers say they are most influenced by recommendations from friends and family, while 22% say they are most influenced by online reviews. 

When you’re able to turn your company’s loyal customers into vocal brand ambassadors, it’s going to be more effective than any marketing efforts you could execute on your own. 

That kind of advocacy and social proof simply can’t be replicated. 

Author and business guru Martin Lindstrom once said that word-of-mouth marketing is “powerful, trusted, and cheap”. It’s been true for as long as marketing has existed, and it’s still true today. 

Based on a 2025 survey, 63% of small to medium-sized businesses credit WOM marketing for increasing their customer base.   

There’s something even more exciting about that statistic to consider: many (if not most) of the businesses surveyed were likely only taking a passive approach to generating customer endorsements. 

In other words, the benefits can be even more pronounced when you adopt the right strategy. 

Create an epic first experience

Offering a standout customer experience that overshoots people’s expectations is the surest way to get them to rave about you.

If you want more customer testimonials and positive reviews, you have to start with an epic first experience that stands out for all the right reasons. 

That’s a lot easier said than done, of course. But here are a few “must-haves” to get you started:  

Sell quality products.

Sourcing and selling quality products is crucial to providing an outstanding customer experience. 

Attentive customer service, an effortless buying experience, and products that perform as advertised are the three key ingredients for a WOMM-worthy experience. 

But if you don’t start with a product that customers are happy to receive, customer service and a seamless buying experience aren’t going to matter. 

No one recommends companies when they don’t like their products.    

It’s just as important to make sure the product you provide measures up to its branding. 

For example, if your restaurant bills itself as a family-friendly establishment serving healthy food, don’t ruin the experience by not providing enough space for baby strollers in the dining area.

Seamless order process and site UX.

In 2025, the conversion rate for B2B ecommerce websites is just 1.8%. B2C companies fare only a little better, with a 2.1% conversion rate. 

This suggests that most brands aren’t getting site functionality right.

Turning your existing customers into brand advocates is great, but you have to start by making them customers to begin with. You can’t let a poor user experience cause potential customers to abandon their shopping carts out of frustration.

Among the most common reasons for cart abandonment are an unintuitive shopping process and a lack of information. 

If it isn’t easy for customers to check out on your website, most aren’t going to try very hard. 

If the information they need to make a purchasing decision isn’t readily available, they aren’t going to search for long.  

Fortunately, there are ways to make your site easy to navigate by enabling customers to self-identify their needs. 

For example, you can provide a chatbot or intake form that asks new website visitors what product category they’re searching for and filter items based on pricing. 

Be sure to also provide thorough product descriptions as well as videos or photographs of the product in action. 

Run a tight operation.

Incorrect orders, late deliveries, or appointment no-shows will motivate customers to spread the word about your business — but for all the wrong reasons.

29% of consumers report that they have stopped using or buying from a brand due to a poor customer experience. 

And when they talk about those poor experiences, the loss of one customer is only the beginning. There is such a thing as negative word of mouth, after all. 

Using just-in-time inventory management so that you’re never over- or under-stocked will help eliminate one common source of customer frustration. 

You should also partner with a reliable supplier who can fulfill large orders with a short turnaround so that you’re never caught off guard by surges in demand. 

Finally, make it easy for customers to get in touch with a human for complaint resolution; chatbots are great, but they can’t fully replace traditional customer service. 

Go above and beyond for the customer.

Exceeding customer expectations looks different for every business. There’s no magic formula for it.  

However, it can be as simple as working with a customer to create a custom item, sending a personalized thank-you note, or performing an act of kindness.

Here’s a quick case study on going above and beyond for the customer: 

A Trader Joe’s in Wayne, PA, delivered a week’s worth of groceries free of charge to an elderly gentleman who was stranded at home during a snowstorm.

Note: Trader Joe’s doesn’t usually provide delivery, but they made an exception. And you can bet that it made an impact, both in terms of the customer’s brand loyalty and Trader Joe’s brand awareness. 

Complaint resolution is another key part of exceeding customer expectations. 

Sometimes you can turn a bad situation around and blow the customer away in the process.  

Building your word-of-mouth marketing strategy

Rather than leaving WOM marketing up to chance, create triggers that will make people want to talk about your brand. 

Here are some ways to launch your own word-of-mouth marketing campaign:

Set up word-of-mouth triggers.

Triggers are memorable experiences or feelings that make people want to talk about your business — think of it as your ‘X factor’ that gets people talking. 

Take it from luxury hotel chain Ritz-Carlton, which often makes headlines for its reputation for going the extra mile for its guests.

When a young guest at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida lost his beloved stuffed giraffe, Joshie, hotel employees not only mailed the giraffe back, but also sent pictures of Joshie lounging by the pool, getting a massage at the spa, and driving a golf cart to reassure the little boy that his beloved stuffed animal had been well cared for in his absence.

The giraffe even received a Ritz-Carlton ID badge and was made an honorary member of the Loss Prevention team.

The Ritz-Carlton viral marketing example shows that WOM triggers don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. 

Just demonstrating empathy and creativity can go a long way.

Use visual triggers.

Create remarkable visual experiences so customers will want to take photos and share them.

For example, “Instagrammable” restaurants have one thing in common — they provide an aesthetically pleasing environment that makes people want to share their dining experience on social media. 

Providing visual triggers in a digital experience is trickier but doable. 

One of the best word-of-mouth marketing examples comes from the feminine product brand, Always. 

As part of its #LikeAGirl campaign, the brand pushed for more gender-diverse emojis on mobile and social media platforms. 

Before, the female emojis on instant messaging apps showed girls dancing in bunny ears or walking down the aisle. 

The Always campaign introduced new girl-power symbols, like female doctors, athletes, chefs, wrestlers, soccer players, and so on.

The result of this hashtag campaign? Tons of free publicity for Always and goodwill from its customers. 

Do or create something unique.

Selling a unique product, using a different business model, or bucking industry norms are other ways to harness the power of word of mouth.

People talk about the companies that stand out from the crowd. As long as you’re standing out in a positive way, it’s going to be beneficial. 

Emotional provocation.

Tapping into people’s emotions can be an immensely powerful way to generate shares. 

In 2019, Dove launched the #ShowUs campaign, partnering with women and non-binary individuals to create a collection of 10,000+ stock images that offer a more inclusive vision of beauty for all media and advertisers to use. 

By enabling people to feel seen, regardless of race, body type, or gender, Dove expertly tapped into people’s emotions by making them feel like they were a part of something bigger than themselves.

It’s important to be genuine (customers will know if you aren’t), but finding ways to pull on people’s heartstrings is a surefire path to more shares. 

Encourage user-generated content (UGC).

The best kind of social media marketing is the kind your customers do for you. 

Data shows that brands using UGC see 29% more web conversions than campaigns without UGC, and 79% of people say UGC influences their buying decisions.

UGC builds trust by establishing social proof — the notion that something is desirable because other people like it.

You can’t make customers create and publish content about your brand…but you can encourage them. 

For example, you could host a giveaway on social media for satisfied customers who post pictures of your products alongside your branded hashtag.

Similarly, if you offer a loyalty program, you can tie rewards to UGC, thereby encouraging your most loyal customers to post photos or videos of your products.

Push ratings and reviews hard.

Customer reviews are the modern form of WOM marketing. 

They’re the most common way customers share their thoughts about companies, and they often have the biggest impact on purchasing decisions. 

To generate more reviews for your business, start by setting up feedback channels to collect them. 

This can take the form of on-site surveys, emails requesting reviews, notes included in your product packaging, and more. 

95% of customers state that they will pay more when reviews are positive. By actively encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews, you make your brand increasingly more appealing. 

Create an official referral program.

Referral marketing is a form of marketing that encourages happy customers to advocate on behalf of your brand in exchange for incentives.

Sometimes called refer-a-friend programs, referral marketing has become a go-to method for ecommerce stores looking to grow their sales while minimizing the cost per action. By providing customers with incentives to talk about your brand, you increase the likelihood of WOM.

Rewards can be anything from: 

• Discounts on new products 

• A gift card or coupon 

• Cash payments or cashback

• Free gifts

It doesn’t take anything too extravagant; just a simple reward and a transparent system are all you need to start encouraging referrals. 

Know your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

Average customer lifetime value refers to the amount of revenue a single customer brings in over the course of your business relationship.

The reason why this metric is important is that LTV tells you how much money to spend on customer acquisition.

For example, if a customer typically spends $200, then you need your WOM initiatives to cost less than this per new customer that they bring in. Otherwise, you will end up losing money. 

Spark WOM among influencers

It’s valuable enough when an ordinary customer shares something about your brand. When a respected influencer does it, the results can be exponentially better. 

Influencers have the power to sway their followers’ purchasing decisions. The more followers they have, the more their recommendation moves the needle for your brand. 

According to a 2025 report from Influencer Marketing Hub, over 80% of marketers affirm influencer marketing as a highly effective strategy 

Most of the time, influencer marketing means paying influencers to promote your products. However, there are ways to spark WOM among influencers without having to shell out large amounts of cash: 

Send products for free.

It doesn’t hurt to simply identify relevant influencers, send them your product, and see if they review it. 

Just note that some influencers are regularly deluged with freebies and may not wish to review your product unless they truly like it, so don’t expect reviews from every influencer.

Instead of focusing exclusively on big names with a massive amount of followers, try working with micro-influencers. 

Bloggers, videographers, or DIYers with a smaller following are more likely to be receptive to freebies, and getting your product in front of their audiences can still be worth the cost. 

Connect with a worthy cause.

Over 88% of consumers purchase from brands that align with their values. 

Influencers also want to show support for causes they believe in, so associating your brand with a purpose will give influencers additional reasons to partner with you.

In 2020, Starbucks launched the #WhatsYourName campaign to illustrate the journey of a young transgender person who was struggling to embrace their name change — until he walks into a Starbucks one day.

The barista asks for his name — “James,” he intones confidently — and writes it on his cup, sealing James’s new identity as a male.

The ad was inspired by real-life experiences of people who were transitioning and found Starbucks to be a safe space where their new name was accepted.

Solve a real challenge (yes, even influencers have them!).

The best products solve customer pain points and leave a lasting impact. 

If you can do that for an influencer, they are likely to talk about your product, whether you are paying them or not. 

The final word

The power of word-of-mouth marketing cannot be overstated. 

When customers talk about your brand, the people who trust them — their friends, family, and followers — tend to listen. 

By taking a strategic approach to WOM marketing, you can actively encourage satisfied customers to write reviews, share user-generated content, and refer your products to others. 

It’s an impactful yet relatively inexpensive strategy for growing your online business. 

Word-of-mouth marketing FAQs