Word-of-mouth rules, OK?

The power of personal recommendations or word of mouth has been further confirmed in new research from Nielsen. We have seen in previous research how much people (even in corporate IT procurement) are relying on user reviews in their buying decisions. The Nielsen research confirms people have a high degree of trust for the views of others shared in blogs or other social media; finding that, on average, 61% of people trust consumer opinions posted online. True word-of-mouth, however, rated far higher at 78%. The difference is likely to be how well we can know the person expressing the view. However, when you think about it, online opinions are likely to be more accessible for all but localised products and services. Power to the people.