Word of mouth marketing happens when a customer recommends your business to someone else. It is the oldest form of marketing and still the most trusted. A friend saying “you have to try this restaurant” carries more weight than any advertisement.
For local businesses, word of mouth has traditionally been limited to personal conversations. The internet expanded it. A Google review is word of mouth at scale. One person writes about their experience and hundreds of potential customers read it.
Sharing reviews on social media extends word of mouth even further. When you post a Google review on Instagram and someone shares it with a friend, the original reviewer’s recommendation reaches people three steps removed from the original experience. That is the power of combining reviews with social media.
The businesses that generate the most word of mouth are the ones that deliver experiences worth talking about, and then make it easy for people to talk. Getting your Google review link out there and sharing your reviews on Instagram are two ways to amplify what is already happening naturally. See 5 ways to get more from your Google reviews.