Word of mouth referrer behaviour

Word-of-mouth (WOM) is recognised as a powerful marketing tool for promoting firms and products at no, or very little, cost. A review of the literature showed there was no categorisation of the different approaches to providing referrals. This research identified five categories of referrer approaches exhibited by clients of an accounting firm: opinion leaders; passive mercenaries; helpful friend; reciprocators; and closed mouth. The approach and behaviour of these five types of referrer are described and future research directions identified.