As a growing phenomenon, word of mouth has evolved as one of the most influential sources of marketing. Word of mouth can be simply defined as any commercial action that earns a recommendation from the customer, it is what companies use to gain a sense of interest from a consumer that causes them to experience and share. Word of mouth builds brands, increases sales and builds conversations from both consumer to consumer and consumer to brand. It is believed that the power of word of mouth will only increase in the coming years as people become more interconnected through social media. Word of mouth is basically about people trusting you, as a means of word of mouth, it's basically about real people and when real people trust you and love what you do, they will tell their friends. Providing the best product in a category, providing a great customer experience, and rewarding customer loyalty are all business actions that earn recommendations from customers. Recommendations are important to marketers, because when a recommendation is earned it indicates a customer's preference, leads to purchase, and a strong likelihood that the customer will tell others through word of mouth. The most effective word of mouth marketing follows five principles which are credible, respectful, social, measurable and repeatable. Credible word of mouth is an honest and authentic message sent from brand to customers and from customers to customers. Reputable word of mouth is responsible and trustworthy behavior as it pertains to privacy issues between the brand and its consumers. Social word of mouth involves listening, participating, responding and engaging your brand in online and offline conversations. Measurable word of mouth is the ability to evaluate, monitor and... middle of paper... in easy disclosure you are basically free and clear. So how does a company build the kind of trust that would make word of mouth work well? First it depends on the company is the basic answer, but this requires a couple of fundamental and philosophical changes in how a company runs its business. They must first stop doing deceptive things, treat customers well, realize that customer service is not an expense item, and that customer service is the core of their word-of-mouth engine. Companies need to reconsider why customers buy from them – simply because they like them and so do their products. Being notable and earning respect isn't achieved by producing a bigger bottle, having a super sale, or investing in a Super Bowl ad, but simply by getting a character that consumers love and would like to tell the world about.