The Power of Word-of-Mouth

by Stephanie Arriaga

Thinking of a recent situation with a local band made me wonder what kind of effect WOM or word-of- mouth had on marketing music or more specifically local musicians and bands. As product information individuals transmit to other individuals, WOM tends to be more reliable and the information is more likely to be believed by the population than formal and traditional marketing tools. Therefore, if used in a positive context, WOM can be a very successful tool in creating buzz and interest in the product or music. As an up and coming musician, it is important that you generate a buzz in and around your community, more importantly a buzz with a positive cogitation. Unless you already have chart topping songs and established yourself as a successful artist, and even then, musicians cannot afford to lose fans or respect with negative word-of-mouth. Not all publicity is good publicity.

With positive word-of-mouth, potential consumers have a greater chance in actually purchasing and adopting the product, or in this case, your music. You can dramatically increase your audience at shows, your fan base, play at better venues, or play with more known bands or musicians through WOM. Just talking about your music can have a very powerful affect when someone who is unfamiliar with your music. It provides an introduction of what can be expected and you can make a better argument of why someone should listen and support your art. With today’s technology, WOM doesn’t only consist of talking in a conversation face-to-face, but it also includes phone calls texts, emails, and the use of social networking web sites. Word-of-mouth can potentially make or break you.

Since negative word-of-mouth is weighed much more heavily than positive word-of-mouth, it is critical for you to been seen in a positive light, even as a person not just as a musician. As a local musician, rumors can spread fast and can greatly affect how successful you are, so it is important to be aware of your status and credibility in the community. Negative information can then lead to misconceptions and false rumors about you and/or your music. And as we all have learned playing the game telephone, when information is repeated, the meaning of what is said will most likely be changed and the message interpreted differently from what was initially intended. So be cautious of what you say and do because it may end up burning you in the future.

This inexpensive way to market yourself can be a great advantage when marketing to your community and essentially competing with other local talent for an audience. Becoming aware of the content of your conversations can benefit you in how you want to get your message across and in this case, how you want to present your music. And the more people you talk to the greater the impact. So the moral of this story is to network yourself, it’s impossible to get too many contacts!