Boomers Big on Word-of-Mouth MARCH 21, 2007 When baby boomers get talking, there‘s no stopping them. A majority of baby boomers get asked for recommendations on products and services about 90 times every year, according to Weber Shandwick. "When it comes to word-of-mouth recommendations, boomers have both unrivaled influence and rich networks of peer advisors," said Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross of Weber Shandwick. As with most word-of-mouth, 84% of boomer recommendations are made face to face and 82% by phone, while only 45% are made online.
Boomers aren‘t alone in their preference for personal contact when it comes to word-of-mouth. In an April 2006 survey, Keller Fay Group found that US consumers vastly prefer in-person communication for marketing-relevant word-of-mouth over e-mail or other interactive channels.
When boomers do go online, many of them research products or services.
The key is to provide enough information online to fuel an offline word-of-mouth campaign. eMarketer senior analyst (and baby boomer) David Hallerman notes that those intent on using e-mail in word-of-mouth campaigns aren‘t wasting their efforts either. "When done correctly," says Mr. Hallerman, "e-mail mixed with word-of-mouth is effective because of trust — people tend to trust others they know more than they‘ll ever trust advertising and marketing." |
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