{"id":7954,"date":"2023-04-16T22:46:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T05:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/?p=7954"},"modified":"2023-04-16T22:46:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T05:46:34","slug":"the-power-of-word-of-mouth-how-to-find-what-influences-your-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/the-power-of-word-of-mouth-how-to-find-what-influences-your-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Word of Mouth: How to Find What Influences Your Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have increased significantly over the past decade. This is true for both B2B and B2C companies, with CAC across both industries being up about 70%, according to subscription software company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.profitwell.com\/recur\/all\/how-is-cac-changing-over-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ProfitWell<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, it\u2019s becoming a lot more expensive to acquire customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What to do? At our recent <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/resources\/office-hours\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SparkToro Office Hours<\/a>, Asia Orangio, Founder &amp; CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/demandmaven.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DemandMaven<\/a>, says at least one answer is clear. Figure out who and what influences your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM-1024x567.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM-1024x567.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM-768x425.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM-1536x850.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-13-at-4.30.26-PM.png 1886w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SparkToro&#8217;s VP Marketing Amanda Natividad and DemandMaven&#8217;s Founder &amp; CEO Asia Orangio at SparkToro Office Hours<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>First, shift your thinking on what an \u201cinfluencer\u201d is. It\u2019s not just the aspirational lifestyle guru on Instagram who suggests meal prepping an entire week\u2019s worth of food for a family of four in just two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your audience\u2019s sources of influence include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Conferences and webinars<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Podcasts and YouTube shows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Niche subject matter experts who write newsletters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>all the platforms, channel and people you can\u2019t really track<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026and more. In fact, there\u2019s an entire nebulous channel you can\u2019t track at all. One that you\u2019re probably underestimating: Word of Mouth (WOM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lex-p.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com\/img\/7edd16d0-78ae-4a5d-aa65-446c1fd7cd46-RackMultipart20230414-6-7d0sm2.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portion of Asia Orangio&#8217;s presentation at SparkToro Office Hours.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Marketers like to attribute brand discovery to digital ads, social media and streaming services. They give very little weight to WOM \u2014 yet nearly one-third of consumers say WOM is how they prefer to learn about new brands, products or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So one of the best ways to effectively sustain growth is to fuel WOM. How to do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do customer research.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our friend <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KateBour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Katelyn Bourgoin<\/a>, Founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/customercamp.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Customer Camp<\/a>, likes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/medium.com\/@katelynbourgoin\/the-most-powerful-growth-hack-of-2019-isnt-sexy-3f96bade228a&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1681413789781268&amp;usg=AOvVaw0KQue-ntBYkD0BuC8HrD12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">say<\/a>, \u201cCustomer research is the ultimate growth hack \u2014 but it\u2019s not considered \u2018sexy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well\u2026 it should be. Customer research sees a 54% greater return on marketing investment and an 18x faster average sales cycle, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aberdeen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aberdeen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.20.01-PM-1024x581.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.20.01-PM-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.20.01-PM-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.20.01-PM-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.20.01-PM.png 1526w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portion of Asia Orangio&#8217;s presentation at SparkToro Office Hours.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally, your customer research program would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plan to interview 10 customers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prepare Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) questions. These are questions that seek to understand what \u201cjob\u201d a customer has \u201chired\u201d a purchase to do. (Example: You\u2019d buy an automated coffee maker to do the job of morning barista for you shortly after you wake up.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Record your interviews.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of magical JTBD questions \u2014 which unlock key answers to our acquisition mysteries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How did you find &lt;insert your company name here&gt;?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What was going on in your world that led you to look for it?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What were you using or doing before?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How did you find out about that platform?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are some places you hang out online?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you want to learn more about your industry or role, where do you go?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can\u2019t do 10 customer interviews, see if you can do at least three. And if you <em>really <\/em>can\u2019t do those, or if you want to augment your customer research efforts, you have several fall-back plans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.userinterviews.com\/\">UserInterviews<\/a> to talk to your audience. Requires some budget, but not a ton.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add just one extra question to forms for lead magnets \u2014 such as \u201cHow did you hear about us?\u201d to gauge attribution, or \u201cWhat are some places you hang out online?\u201d for marketing ideas (or, ahem, suggestions for <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SparkToro<\/a> searches).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include a question in your automated email follow-ups. You can ask how someone a customer heard about you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analyze reviews of competitors on review sites. You\u2019ll see firsthand how customers describe their pain points, as well as learn what \u201cjobs\u201d they \u201chired\u201d your competitors\u2019 products to do for them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Position your research as a case study. In a thorough case study, you\u2019ll need to ask what pain point your customer had that led them to you, as well as what made them choose your solution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Join demos\/customer support meetings. This isn\u2019t always easy to do, and may depend on your company\u2019s culture. But try asking your Sales or Business Development Representative or a Customer Success Associate if you can join one of their demos or meetings. You might be able to sneak in a question or two if appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Take copious notes during these interviews. Play back the recordings if you need to. Then organize the insights into key themes in a spreadsheet or Airtable. For instance, makes notes of their discovery habits, distill these habits into themes, and note their desired outcomes. You might be able to come up with a chart like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"572\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM-1024x572.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM-1536x858.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-5.03.49-PM.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From Asia Orangio&#8217;s presentation, customers&#8217; top discovery habits shown in a table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The power of Word of Mouth. We love to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on how thorough your interviews were (and hopefully they were!) you\u2019ll also identify top marketing channels (e.g. LinkedIn advertising and trade shows, for instance) so you can see where your might want your marketing dollars to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do audience research.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After you\u2019ve sourced some intel directly from your customers, do some more research to understand how their characteristics or interests can be broadly applicable to your whole audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say you make a meal-planning app geared towards dietitians and nutritionists. You\u2019ve done a few customer interviews, and you learn that a major influence for them is renowned author and food\/nutrition subject matter expert <a href=\"https:\/\/michaelpollan.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Pollan<\/a>. You could run a <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/product\/search\/overview?keyword=%40michaelpollan&amp;type=follows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SparkToro query for the audience that follows Pollan on social media<\/a>. Here\u2019s an overview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lex-p.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com\/img\/eb27c98a-172b-4a83-b894-4919e3ea8add-RackMultipart20230414-10-3qed1p.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SparkToro overview data of the audience that follows Michael Pollan on social media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Top hashtags used among this audience include #organic, #climatecrisis and #nutrition. Clearly, an audience that cares about organic food, whole foods, and the environment. From here, you\u2019ll notice this audience listens to a Bon Appetit podcast, and they frequent the \/Environment Subreddit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gives you a solid sense of what people who follow Michael Pollan are also influenced by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But maybe you want this to be specific to your audience of nutritionists. <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/new-custom-search-custom-audiences-offer-incredible-new-ways-to-use-sparktoro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">So you run a Custom Search<\/a> that combines both queries of people who follow Michael Pollan <em>and <\/em>who <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/product\/search\/overview?keyword=nutritionist&amp;type=describe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">self-identify publicly online as a nutritionist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lex-p.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com\/img\/e4930aa5-7f9d-460d-a7cf-09d23920a13c-RackMultipart20230414-6-niqhwp.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">What it looks like to start a Custom Search query in SparkToro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s our audience to a tee!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-1024x700.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-1024x700.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-768x525.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-1536x1050.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.48.54-PM-2048x1400.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The behaviors and demographics of the Custom Search query: Nutritionists who follow Michael Pollan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-1024x571.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7957\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-1024x571.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-768x428.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-1536x856.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.49.56-PM-2048x1142.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Popular social accounts and websites from the Custom Search query: Nutritionists who follow Michael Pollan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-1024x581.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-1536x872.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.50.03-PM-2048x1163.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Popular podcasts, YouTube channels, press and Subreddits from the Custom Search query: Nutritionists who follow Michael Pollan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This audience also follows Marion Nestle and they stay up to date through Harvard Health. They also listen to Mark Hyman\u2019s podcast and participate in the \/Antiwork Subreddit. That\u2019s just to name a few stand-out interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could also dig deeper and uncover a bunch of hidden gem social accounts they follow, pull a list of the top 300 websites they frequent, or see what topics they\u2019ve been discussing publicly online over the past few months:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.55.53-PM-885x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7963\" width=\"529\" height=\"611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.55.53-PM-885x1024.png 885w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.55.53-PM-259x300.png 259w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.55.53-PM-768x889.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-14-at-4.55.53-PM.png 1070w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 529px) 100vw, 529px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commonly used phrases by the audience of nutritionists that follow Michael Pollan on social media, as seen in SparkToro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Now <em>this<\/em> is precisely what classic keyword research can\u2019t tell you. Keyword research can only tell you what the high-volume search terms are. Audience research tells you who\u2019s searching for these keywords and why. You\u2019ll see that this nutritionist audience of Pollan enthusiasts has also been talking about intermittent fasting, gut bacteria, and mediterranean diet, to name a few topics. This would be a great opportunity to create some relevant, top-of-mind content for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(<strong>Free SparkToro data alert:<\/strong> By the way, if you want audience research on nutritionists or want a taste of the full power of SparkToro, dig deeper in this <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/product\/search\/overview?keyword=nutritionist&amp;type=describe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free, full query on nutritionists<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leveraging SparkToro isn\u2019t the only type of audience research you can do. You can also:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask your customers what their favorite social accounts are and follow them yourself to see what they\u2019re seeing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask them about their favorite podcasts, listen to them, and potentially learn of some new-to-you experts who might be able to guest on one of your webinars.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Join their most relevant Subreddits and see their discussions unfold in real-time. It\u2019s a great way to learn their jargon and practice talking the way they talk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you combine the power of customer research and audience research (oh, and Asia\u2019s strategy and organization skills), you\u2019ll uncover new growth opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take it from Asia herself as she shows the outcomes with one of DemandMaven\u2019s clients, vacation listing site <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uplisting.io\/\">Uplisting<\/a> (at the 56:27 mark):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2IsdizzrggM\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>After conducting hours of customer interviews, DemandMaven learned that Uplisting\u2019s customers thought their competitors (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking, etc) had slicker branding. They also saw that customers churned from those competitors fairly quickly, as Uplisting became their second or third choice after poor experiences with those competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Uplisting had a branding and positioning problem. DemandMaven helped them with their brand overhaul, ensuring Uplisting would distinctly stand out among their competitors, improved their onboarding, and updated their positioning and messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The results? A 20% increase in activation rate. 3x lift in new signups. And 10x lift in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t cheap or easy. But the changes all led to sustainable growth for Uplisting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And maybe, they&#8217;ve even been able to boost their Word of Mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This blog post is derived from a recent episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/resources\/office-hours\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SparkToro Office Hours<\/a>. Special thank you to <strong>Asia Orangio<\/strong> for lending her time and expertise. You can keep up with Asia&#8217;s work by following her on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/asiamatos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AsiaOrangio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter<\/a>. Learn more about her agency <a href=\"https:\/\/demandmaven.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DemandMaven<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have increased significantly over the past decade. This is true for both B2B and B2C companies, with CAC across both industries being up about 70%, according to subscription software company ProfitWell. In other words, it\u2019s becoming a lot more expensive to acquire customers. What to do? At our recent SparkToro Office<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[39,41,40,42],"class_list":["post-7954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marketing","category-startups","tag-asia-orangio","tag-customer-research","tag-demandmaven","tag-word-of-mouth"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Power of Word of Mouth: How to Find What Influences Your Customers - SparkToro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have increased significantly over the past decade. 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