Marketing or Word-of-Mouth?

Many folks say or think: "Why should I spend money on marketing. Can't I just rely on word of mouth to grow my business?"

It is not an either/or matter. Word of mouth (WOM) is a form of marketing. In fact, WOM is one of the most important, credible and effective forms of marketing. Let's face it, people make buying decisions based on trust, especially on recommendations from those they trust. The simple fact of the matter is that good marketing reinforces and stimulates WOM. An advertisement, or a billboard, or a piece of marketing literature can remind someone to make a referral--or ask for a recommendation or assessment. In fact, I believe that you should design your marketing program with the notion of having your promotional messages stimulate WOM as one of your primary objectives. It does not have to be, nor should it be, viewed as a choice between WOM and marketing.

One of my friends in the business says, "If you have 60 years to grow your business, relying solely upon word of mouth is fine. If you don't have that much time to wait, you had better start marketing."

Credit to that marketing genius and friend for articulating it perfectly.