Online and Offline Word-of-Mouth Communication

Word-of-mouth communication between consumers about products and services has long been among the most important information source for people to learn about products and services. The advent of the internet has ushered in an era in which people are able to communicate with more people, faster, and in more ways than ever before. The various online and offline means of word-of-mouth based communication (i.e. blogs, chat/IM, consumer ratings, email, face-to-face, phone, social bookmarking, social networks, Twitter, text/SMS, virtual worlds) are very important in a Public Relations and Marketing campaign. Consumer communications involve reviews, complaints, questions, how-to, ratings and more. People trust a user’s experience more than a product description because they can identify with the source. Reviewers are seen as influencers and adopters of new technology with a great number of followers. Bloggers have the power to make or sink a product with the power of word-of-mouth.