If you are a CEO, no one really trust you. Any day consumers prefer the opinion of their friends or peers.

In his groundbreaking study, Frederick Reichheld, argues that a company’s growth is strongly tied to the voluntary marketing efforts of loyal customers; fans recommending and selling on behalf of a company. In other words, positive word-of-mouth.

The only question worth asking, Frederick reasoned, is “How likely would you be to recommend our company to a friend?” . That a company’s growth potential should be gauged by the number of fans spreading good news about a company. This make a lot of sense. When you recommend something to someone, your reputation is on the line. It is unlikely a recommendation will be offered if there is no conviction in the value of a product or a service.

So, if you are a recruitment firm or an ATS provider, do you know how many of your satisfied customers are willing to recommend your service or product? If so, are you assisting them to share and spread your story? LinkedIn is good at amplifying its successes, often giving fans a platform to spread their stories.

Word-of mouth flourishes on the Internet, social media amplifies it. Find your fans and give them the right platform to spread your story.

Who do Internet consumers trust? Mostly, the opinion of friends or acquaintances over other forms of advertisement.

A global study by Nielsen found 90% of consumers (93% in Australia’s case) trust recommendations from people they know.

It is likely that your future client of customer is soliciting the opinion of friends or acquaintances.  According to Nielsen: “The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don’t, has increased significantly,”. Social Media merely amplifies the exchanges of opinions.

So, what is your online word of mouth strategy?