• Promo, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 11:30 AM

Word of mouth has more than twice as much influence on business-to-business sales than advertising, direct mail or press coverage, according to a survey by The Keller Fay Group sponsored by experiential marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide. That includes (in order): recommendations from colleagues or friends, conversation with a salesperson, participation at marketing events, conferences and tradeshows, and last, the Internet.

The spring 2007 survey of U.S. and U.K. executives found that 50% are highly likely to buy a product or service based on word of mouth; 49% pass on what they've heard. Fully 75% of these influential conversations happen in person; only 3% are conducted via email, with text messaging and blogs/online chat each accounting for just 1%, the survey found.

Executives are chatty in their off-hours, too, making brand recommendations much more frequently than the average consumer. These "super influencers" could serve as a channel for brand-building among consumers, says Keller Fay CEO Ed Keller.

Read the whole story at Promo »