Online word-of-mouth marketing breaks through many limitations and reaches and influences users directly. So how exactly does online word-of-mouth marketing influence a wider audience? Under the traditional marketing model, even with massive investment in full-scale advertising and digital promotion, it is difficult to truly impress users. Online word-of-mouth marketing, however, is rooted in consumer psychology and delivers remarkable results, growing increasingly popular in recent years. Leading internet companies as well as renowned brands such as Apple and Xiaomi all regard word-of-mouth communication as one of their core marketing strategies.

For digital marketing enterprises, leveraging online channels for word-of-mouth communication and building an integrated marketing reputation effect, supported by advanced internet technologies, enables them to transcend time and geographical boundaries and maximize influence on target customer groups. So what are the specific forms of online word-of-mouth marketing? They mainly fall into the following categories:

First, viral word-of-mouth marketing

Through rapid replication and diffusion, information reaches a large number of potential users, creating a butterfly effect and driving user growth. In the internet environment, information spreads exponentially, which forms the core foundation of viral word-of-mouth marketing. Take the early mobile ringtone service in China as an example: when one user finds it novel and unique, it sparks strong interest among others, who then actively activate the ringtone service and unknowingly become promoters. Without heavy advertising investment, users rushed to subscribe, forcing operators to implement restrictions to control the number of new activations per device.

Second, word-of-mouth marketing based on comparative psychology

Everyone has a tendency to show off and compare, which can be seen everywhere in daily life: friends sharing travel experiences, food, photos, new clothes and other content are essentially forms of social display. Especially when people find they own the same iPhone model as celebrities, they feel a strong sense of superiority and pride, which is why many people are willing to spend one or two months’ salary on a new iPhone.

For instance, viral challenges such as “touching the navel from behind”, “A4 waist” and “putting coins on the collarbone” attracted massive user participation and celebrity endorsement, resulting in widespread online exposure. These were actually carefully planned word-of-mouth marketing campaigns by relevant organizations. This shows that smart packaging and highlighting the strengths of new products or services can effectively encourage users to spread the word spontaneously online.

Third, word-of-mouth marketing targeting key opinion leaders

One of the most effective methods of online word-of-mouth communication is to target influential individuals. Celebrities, internet influencers and bloggers boast large fan bases and strong appeal, often acting as key opinion leaders (KOLs). A top KOL can sway a large audience, whose words and deeds easily trigger public imitation and followership. This effect is particularly prominent in beauty, skincare, health and wellness sectors, where recommendations from top influencers and reviews by internet celebrities can quickly build a strong reputation effect.

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