What is P2P marketing?
People are the movers and shakers of decision making. P2P marketing offers your brand the power and voice to influence other customers. It is all about people, and connection.
Brands have long been dabbling with how to connect with customers, both authentically and transparently.
Nowadays, people care more about what others say about a brand. They are paying more attention to the “voice of the customer” when it comes to products and services. The brands’ message is no longer taken at face value.
Have you ever received wonderful service somewhere and you had to tell your friends about it? Well, this is the person to person marketing at play, without you even realising it.
Word-of-mouth recommendations or peer endorsements influence customers to a great extent.
Simply put, person to person marketing is when customers engage with others through endorsements and recommendations. Also known as p2p / peer to peer, this is new age “WOM” (word of mouth) marketing.
It’s basically people helping other people make informed purchasing decisions through sharing personal experiences.
P2P referrals and brands
Peer-to-peer endorsements are the strongest form of marketing a business can obtain. It is an organic way of spreading information.
Comparing paid media to p2p, brand recommendations by your customers to their friends, is pure gold.
People trust people and no longer trust brands. No matter the marketing message. You can be assured that in the back of their minds, customers don’t believe your brand message.
Therefore, brands are working on “peer brand endorsement” which moves decision making. Because when a brands message is shared in an unbiased way, people trust that opinion.
It’s about recommendations by people who are not being paid to sell your company. Having user-generated content from people who believe in your brand.
More importantly, P2P WOM offers authenticity that cannot be bought. It helps boost your emotional marketing efforts and creates stronger connections with your audience.
People tend to distance themselves from brands that come across as being too pushy or self-centred.
P2P referrals help brands in that they don’t feel like old sales tactics. The trick for brands is getting customers to share their voice with their networks.
Ultimately marketing for them in a very personable way.
Human interaction marketing
As people strive to become more connected, the need for P2P marketing is increasing. The world has become disconnected and becoming a “human” brand is the way to gain new customers.
The focus needs to be put on content strategies that are “more human”. This will allow your brand to genuinely connect with customers.
Let’s look at some of the ways you can modify your marketing, by instigating conversations about your brand;
- Craft a customer referral program
- Offer rewards and loyalty discounts
- Give high-quality customer service
- Invest in niche influencer marketing
These may even result in customers leaving great reviews and telling their loved ones about your brand. Great word of mouth advertising, in turn, earns you new customers and grows revenue.
Becoming a human brand
Genuine stories and ideas tend to echo more powerfully with customers. Every brand is responsible for creating content that resonates with people and is worth sharing in like-minded networks.
Link your brand’s story into a message that transports people, simplifies information, and evokes an emotional response.
Focus on how you can improve the lives of your customers. Connect and help first, sell later. Make your customers the hero and your brand secondary.
Break free of business jargon. Your brand’s message should be tailored in a simple, straight to the point manner that your audience will understand.
Strive to deliver a positive customer experience to encourage brand loyalty and affinity. You can even ask your customers how you can improve your services.
Customers are the best people to ask as they use your product at the end of the day. They want to be treated as more than just views and clicks.
Customers are real people behind the screen
They want to feel like they can relate to your brand and vice versa. Advertising often does very little to grab a customer’s attention or to get people talking about a brand.
Listen to and understand p2p group conversations, think the explosion of Facebook groups lately. Gain access to those inner circles and be present and relatable.
Person-to-person marketing cuts through the noise quickly and effectively. It is the future of reaching the new age customer.
The key to success in P2P marketing. Differentiate your brand from other brands, engage and interact with your customers.
As humans, we tend to add more weight to the opinions of those with experience or goals similar to ours. We also don’t want to be left behind.
If our loved ones are trying a new place or product, we usually at least consider giving it a try ourselves.
Remember, it takes time to win the customer’s heart and mind, let alone their trust, money and loyalty. Invest in getting to know your customer better.