The Power Of Word Of Mouth Among Online Groups

Today I was struck by how powerful my wife’s mom’s club is in terms of word of mouth.

Gina, mother of our four kids, is a board member of the Livermore Mothers club. She was drawn to this community of moms who support, inspire, and share experiences with one another. Like most moms, they are often the "economic buyers" of the household. And that makes them a powerful force in Livermore because they talk about their buying experiences---the good and the bad.

Gina once posted a note asking, "Does anyone have recommendations for electricians?" She received many responses, yet one name came to the top of the list--Carl Keeney.

We hired him based purely on the strength of references from fellow moms. It turns out that his business comes almost exclusively from referrals from the Livermore Moms Club. The moms use Yahoo groups to communicate, so what would take months of verbal word of mouth only takes a click of the mouse to get out to the 350 moms. Talk about power.