Chapter 16
How Word of Mouth Still Works
Read Time: 3 to 4 Minutes
If you know one person you almost know them all.
It’s that “you’re only 7 handshakes from anyone in the world” myth, but yea really.
When you tell someone your story and it’s interesting enough (news, scandal, shock, horror, good luck, tragedy, bad luck… great product or service) that person will tell someone else – to help that person out, or prove they know something their friend doesn’t, or just for conversation padding.
That’s how word spreads – and spreading “the word” by word of mouth is and always has been The Holy Grail of Marketing.
Now – you think I’m going to say Social Media is the “new” word of mouth.
But it isn’t.
There are several differences.
1) Trust.
2) Access.
3) Context.
4) Source.
5) Interruption.
6) Something else
7) Another something.
There you go – Seven eral – told you so.
BREAKING NEWS! New Acronym in Business Marketing!
T.A.C.S.I. pronounce Taxi .
you heard it here first (c) Blue Strawberry Elephant 2026
Trust | Access | Context | Source | Interruption.
OK, we like that.
TRUST
Over the last few years trust in information found on social media has hit an all-time low.
- A global Reuters Institute Digital News Report revealed trust in news on social media has dropped to just 22%.
- The Alan Turing Institute has found 94% of people report witnessing misinformation on social channels.
- Consumer behaviour surveys by Statista have found 41% of adults state they do not trust information posted on social media “very often,” while another 16% do not trust it at all.
ACCESS
With so many people leaving Social Platforms: According to Ofcom 33% of Adults deleted Apps, 51% have stopped being active “Ghosting” (watching but not joining in the conversation.
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-habits-adults/adults-media-use-and-attitudes
If you are losing access to the audience you’re aiming at, why are you spending marketing budget on those channels?
CONTEXT
Is it as bad as it sounds?
Well 16% still active 51% watching – 67% of the old crowd are still around – who are the “new” audience – the 33% that make up the 100%?
SOURCE
Those still daily swiping and scrolling are still finding Random Ads and Posts from people they don’t know are a turn off.
Shares from friends and people they do know? That’s different.
INTERRUPTIONS
If you are posting to Friends only – it’s your crew – your chosen people who are commenting and engaging in the conversations of mutual interest.
Posting publicly will gain comments and interruptions from passers-by.
NOW TAKE THE TACSI BACK TO THE PUB
Think about a proper night out or a relaxed business meeting:
Your audience is who you want it to be. They TRUST you because you’ve been invited to the table.
You have perfect ACCESS to them. The CONTEXT is highly relevant, delivered by an expert, trusted
SOURCE.
And the INTERRUPTIONS?
Only the drunks bumping into your stool on the way back from the bar.
What if you could make all your digital output feel like that?
Meeting Friends down the local, rocking up to a formal client boardroom or enjoying a relaxed exchange of information between trusted, authoritative friends, who are masters of their sector.
And then, they pass the information you provided directly to someone else.
THAT is when digital content across all platforms including Social Media finally starts to equate to the Holy Grail of Marketing.
Real, algorithm proof Word of Mouth.
Open it and talk to us.
