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Word of Mouth is Not Enough!

If you rely on word of mouth to attract new business, you already know what the well-known Nielsen market research firm found…


  • 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over traditional advertising.


  • Even better, social media can spread those recommendations faster than the juiciest gossip, so word of mouth is more effective in this day and age than ever before!


But that isn't the whole story. Their research, published in December 2018, confirmed the continuation of a trend we have been watching for years... with a stark conclusion:  word of mouth isn't enough.

The researchers analyzed 45,000 businesses to obtain some in-depth understanding, and found...


  • More than 8 in 10 people (and 95% of people aged 18-34) do research online before making a significant purchase, and they research online even if they were given a personal recommendation.


  • 91% of searchers trust online reviews as much or more than "word of mouth" personal recommendations .


Yes, you ARE getting checked out online!


It only makes sense. Any consumer will want to know a lot more about what you offer, and how it will help them meet their needs, so almost all consumers will check out a business's website and online reviews before they call or email you.


No website (or worse, a crappy website)? As SCORE pointed out in a recent blog post, this implies that a business is hopelessly out of date, or perhaps they are just dabbling and not really focused on their business.


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