Word of mouth is still the key to influence

by Lee Hopkins on March 6, 2008 · View Comments

in marketing

G'day! Thanks for returning!

Dave Fleet has a very interesting and insightful post on the latest Edelman Trust Barometer report.

Says Dave:

“I’m torn on how to view the evidence here. People don’t seem to be able to decide whether online tools are the next best thing, or are not to be trusted. While the tools are among the least trusted sources, the report shows “social networkers” as the largest segment of influencers. I think the key part is that social media’s influence is rising.”

Some interesting ‘take aways’ from the report that Dave found:

  • When it comes to company spokespeople, regular employees are trusted almost twice as much as CEOs (45% compared to 25% in Canada; 23% in the U.S.)
  • Wikipedia is the second most credible source for young Americans (behind business magazines)
  • Younger people are more likely to talk online about trusted and distrusted companies than older people.

Dave attended the presentation of the report and noted this from the speakers:

“Three main learning points from the presentations, none of which are rocket science:

  • Use top-down and peer-to-peer tactics in your communications strategies
  • Engage via word of mouth with influencers
  • Companies can become leaders by building their reputations and encouraging conversation.”

Thanks for the insights, Dave, and you can download the presentation slides used on the day from Dave’s slideshare account.

 

 

 

 

 

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