• Ad Age , Friday, December 15, 2006 11 AM

Don't discount the value of word of mouth marketing: Brand advocates may be your best marketing resource. There exists a relationship between brand fans, search and social media, according to research from Yahoo and comScore.

Their research says brand influencers conduct about 25% more online searches; they are 119% more likely to use instant messenger; 40% more likely to listen to podcasts; they have wider social circles and nearly half have written about their purchases online. They're also more than twice as likely to lead to sales.

"Search is built on forums," says Alan Boughen, senior partner and director at NeoOgilvy. He says you need a strategy that ensures the opinions of these people are heard.

That means that brands need not be afraid of online chatter about them--because it's often more positive than assumes. The moral of the story for marketers is to buy search ads that send people to these forums, so they can read about all the wonderful things users say about your brand.

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