Name Share®: A New Way To Measure Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Customers like things quick and easy, especially when there are tempting incentives up for grabs. After all, what underpins any successful referral programme? That’s right: ease of use.

That's where Name Share® comes in. 

In this article, we explore the brilliance of Name Share®, a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing, and how it's revolutionising the way that brands track word-of-mouth (WoM) and boost referral marketing performance.

What is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?

Before diving into Name Share®, it’s helpful to take a step back and define the foundation it’s built on — word-of-mouth marketing. While the concept of word-of-mouth (WoM) is nothing new, the way modern marketers capture and measure it is evolving fast. And with good reason: today’s consumers trust people, not ads.

Definition and Explanation

Word-of-mouth marketing is when customers organically share a brand, product, or service with others — typically because they’ve had a great experience and want to recommend it.

This kind of advocacy isn't bought with ad spend, it's earned through authentic experiences. Unlike influencer marketing or paid social media campaigns, word-of-mouth marketing relies on real people talking about your brand in their own circles — online or offline.

Historically, tracking this kind of organic growth has been incredibly difficult. Conversations happen over Whatsapp, over lunch, during a run, or at the checkout counter — far away from traditional attribution methods. That’s where a capability like Mention Me’s Name Share® changes the game.

Importance in Business

Word-of-mouth marketing is often the catalyst behind a brand's most loyal and valuable customers. Why? Because a recommendation from someone you know holds more weight than any paid ad or polished campaign.

According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other type of advertising. Not only do referred customers convert more frequently, but they’re also more likely to:

• Make repeat purchases
• Stay loyal for longer
• Advocate for your brand themselves

In other words, word-of-mouth isn’t just about growing your customer base—it’s about growing it with the right people.

From an ROI standpoint, it’s hard to compete with the cost-effectiveness of happy customers recruiting other happy customers—especially when you can measure and optimise those interactions at scale.

Examples of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

The most powerful word-of-mouth marketing doesn’t always look like a full-blown campaign. In fact, it’s usually the organic moments that spark real growth—when customers feel compelled to share your brand because the experience was just that good.

Here are a few examples of how WoM marketing shows up in real-world scenarios:

• A friend raves about their new protein shake on Instagram and tags the brand.
• A colleague wears a new pair of running shoes, and someone asks where they got them.
• A parent tells a fellow parent group about an app that keeps their kids entertained during road trips.
• A beauty blogger casually praises a new skincare product during a live video, prompting dozens of purchases.
• A customer recommends a mattress brand in an online forum because it resolved their back pain.

In all these cases, the recommendation carries personal weight. It’s not just about selling a product—it’s about sharing value, solving problems, and enhancing someone’s life.

What these examples have in common is authenticity — and what they often lack is trackability. That’s the missing link Name Share® fixes, allowing these organic moments of advocacy to be captured and turned into measurable business value.

Why create a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing? 

Picture this: you cycle to meet your friend Phil, who compliments your helmet. 

He's in the market for a helmet, and yours ticks all the boxes. Better yet, you have a special offer that Phil can use on his first purchase (you'll get a reward, too).

You reach for your phone so you can share the brand referral link with Phil, and your phone isn't in your pocket. You left it on the kitchen counter again *face palm*, so you tell Phil you'll share the link when you get home, then the conversation moves on. 

Weeks later, when clipping on your helmet for a leisurely cycle, you remember your conversation with Phil. You message Phil, and he tells you not to worry — he bought a helmet from a shop in town a while back.

That's why you need a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing — the current methods often don't track WOM effectively.

Why traditional word-of-mouth tracking isn't working

Of course, not all your customers are forgetful enough to leave their phones at home. However, this isn't the only reason these everyday recommendations might not convert into new customers.

These are the other reasons that referral applications struggle to measure word-of-mouth:

• Customers can't find the email from your refer-a-friend program.
• Referees can't find or have forgotten about their friend's referral email by the time they're ready to buy.
• Referees remember seeing a referral link on social media but can't remember who shared it.

What is Name Share®?

To understand Name Share® and how it revolutionises word-of-mouth marketing, let's rewind our original scenario. 

This time, instead of telling Phil that you'll share the link later, you tell him to enter your name at the helmet store checkout. No more remembering links or searching emails for referral codes — you don't even need to get out your phone.

Unique to Mention Me, Name Share® lets customers refer friends using just their friend's name.

So, when Phil's about to buy his new helmet a few days later, he enters your name at checkout. Just like that, he's bagged himself (and you) a special offer.

Name Share® lets customers refer friends using just their name

How does Name Share® work?

Mention Me’s one-of-a-kind Name Share® feature encourages natural word-of-mouth customer referrals by letting them refer friends using just their name. 

Here's the process in two simple steps:

• Step 1: The customer clicks the 'Been referred by a friend?' link on the checkout page.
• Step 2: They enter the name of the person who referred them. If there are multiple people with the same name, we'll prompt them to enter the referrer's email address.

No other referral platform offers Name Share® as a way to capture word-of-mouth referrals — they’re stuck with those unwieldy, alienating codes often buried deep and unused in a customer’s overflowing email inbox. 

Now, thanks to Name Share®, there's a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing and capture the recommendations, transforming them into sustainable growth for your brand. For more information on how Name Share® works, check out our product description page.

What are the benefits of Name Share®?

Implementing Name Share® into your referral model offers several key benefits, from simplifying the word-of-mouth process to improving conversion rates. Below, we'll discuss the main advantages of Name Share® in more detail.

Easily capture word-of-mouth referrals

With Name Share®, you can seamlessly convert your customers' everyday conversations about your brand into new customers. Rather than customers remembering and sending links to their friends, they can tell their friends to simply type their name at checkout in order to receive rewards.

Improved brand visibility

When customers share your brand through conversations, social channels, or even casual mentions, they’re not just driving conversions—they’re amplifying your reach.

Name Share® makes it easy for customers to talk about your brand in a way that feels natural and frictionless. Instead of having to navigate complicated links or referral codes, they can simply say, “Just use my name at checkout.” This effortless call to action creates more opportunities for your brand to be brought up in everyday interactions—online and offline.

The result? More people hear your brand’s name, more often, from trusted sources. That visibility builds familiarity, reinforces credibility, and keeps you top of mind when it’s time to buy. Over time, this compounding exposure drives awareness in a much more organic—and trusted—way than traditional marketing methods.

Name Share® transforms referrals into something that not only converts but also spreads, increasing your share of voice and growing your audience through real customer voices.

Buyer-led referrals

Traditional referral journeys rely on the referer sharing their code, with their friend following through with the referral. Name Share® is a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing, putting all the power in the hands of the customer in a simple, intuitive referral journey, reducing the margin for losing referrals.

In other words, with Name Share®, it's more likely that customers will follow through with the word-of-mouth referral.

Higher conversion rates

Generic referral links are easily forgotten, less personal, and often involve a clunkier customer journey. However, customers can easily remember referrals via Name Share® because they're personal and customer-led. This frictionless path to purchase results in higher conversion rates.

For example, some of our clients now drive between 50% and 66% of referrals via Name Share® alone. Imagine what your brand could do with those volumes of referrals.

More social sharing

It’s easier for referrers to share their name than to generate a referral code or copy a referral link to their socials.

“For everyone asking where the dress in my Instagram Stories is from: It’s XYZ-brand, just mention my name at checkout to get a free consultation from XYZ-brand’s style experts!”

Increased customer acquisition

And not just any customers; referred customers are more valuable than the average consumer.

By making the referral process simpler and smoother, you can drive more sustainable revenue growth and profitability through your customer base. 

Better personalisation and referral marketing

Personalisation is a cornerstone of successful marketing strategies, which is why most brands need a new way to capture word-of-mouth marketing — something more personal. Today's consumers expect personalised experiences tailored to their specific needs, preferences, and stage in their customer journey. 

By understanding and catering to these expectations, you can forge a stronger relationship with your customer base. Name Share® takes personalisation to a whole new level in referral marketing.

By leveraging the referee's name, your brand can create a sense of trust and credibility right from the start. 

The personalised referral message captures the attention of the referee and resonates with them on a deeper, personal level, leading to increased engagement and a higher likelihood of conversion.

Ready for a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing? Chat with our experts today for a free, no-commitment demo.

Invite referred customers to enter their friend's name for an exclusive reward

Case Studies and Examples

Hundreds of leading brands knew they needed a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing, so they implemented Name Share® in their referral programmes. Unsurprisingly, they achieved outstanding results.

GlassesUSA

GlassesUSA, a leading online glasses retailer, turned to Mention Me in 2018 and started leveraging Name Share® to tap into the recommendations that their customers were making in everyday conversations. Today, Name Share® accounts for a whopping 77% of their referred customers.

Arie Tom, CMO:

"We knew we needed something more sophisticated than a plug-in referral widget to hit our ambitious growth goals, and we were completely right to trust Mention Me...Our programme is growing year on year — this is just the start of our journey with Mention Me."

DNAFit

DNAFit needed a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing. Why? Because traditional methods simply weren't working. DNAFit now gets 30% of its referrals via Name Share®.

Hilly Scholes, Digital Marketing & Social Media Manager:

“We’ve seen 30% of our shares come from name sharing, so it's definitely been the best thing about working with Mention Me.”

ManyPets

Name Share® has doubled the volume of shares, and quadrupled sales from the now ManyPets' referral scheme over a 12 month period.

Helene Vincent, Head of Performance Marketing, says:

“Just to show you how important referral is for our growth now, we want to get even more attention from referrals, so internally we're going to recruit and have a person dedicated to this full-time.”

Tips for Implementing Name Share®

We’re not saying you shouldn't encourage customers to share your brand via typical channels, like email and WhatsApp. The best referral programmes offer numerous sharing methods and run A/B tests to discover which channels are most effective. 

But, it's worth noting that our Name Share® feature delivers up to 77% of referrals for some of our clients. That's pretty impressive (even if we do say so ourselves).

To maximise the effectiveness of Name Share® in your referral marketing campaigns, consider the customer journey:

1. Promote referral at any point in your app

Normally, the best place to promote Name Share® is at a 'point of delight', whether it's after a successful signup or transaction, from a ‘Refer a Friend’ menu option, or under the ‘My account’ screen.

2. User-friendly interface

Ensure that your referral program's user interface is intuitive and straightforward, making it easy for customers to access their unique referral links or Name Share® call-to-action, while the CTA should feel native to your brand, with the same look and feel.

3. Clear incentives

Clearly communicate the rewards and incentives customers will receive for successful referrals, ensuring the referral programme is engaging and beneficial for both the referrer and the recipient.

Some examples of clear incentives:

• Free gift

• Donation to charity

• Discount

• Gift card

• Subscription

• Service, e.g. free 15-minute nutrition consultation

4. Measure and track advocacy-driven growth

By measuring the performance of your Name Share®, you'll be able to optimise your referral programme and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, you’ll be able to A/B test your campaigns by cohort to evaluate impact and ROI success.

Thankfully, Mention Me has specific features that can segment your customer advocates so you can deliver targeted advocacy campaigns.

5. Activate your brand fans

With Mention Me, you can acquire high-value customers through advocacy campaigns and attract future ones through paid performance channels. With behavioural AI modelling, known as Propensity to Refer®, you’re able to predict which segment of your customer base is likely to advocate for your brand.

The Challenges of Measuring Word-of-Mouth in Digital Marketing

Word-of-mouth has always been one of the most trusted and effective forms of marketing—but it’s also one of the hardest to track.

In a digital world where attribution is king, traditional word-of-mouth slips through the cracks. Valuable referrals often happen in private conversations, text messages, or face-to-face chats—far outside the reach of typical analytics tools.

Here are a few reasons word-of-mouth is difficult to measure in digital marketing:

• Conversations aren’t tied to clickable links or UTM parameters
• Customers may forget to share referral codes later on
• Referees may convert without using the provided link or code
• Most platforms aren’t built to capture offline or organic sharing

As a result, brands miss out on attributing sales to genuine advocacy—leaving referral data incomplete and ROI difficult to calculate.

That’s exactly why Name Share® exists. It fills the measurement gap by capturing those everyday conversations, linking real-word advocacy back to performance metrics, and offering a more accurate picture of how word-of-mouth drives growth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Our unique Name Share® capability is a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing, and it can greatly improve your referral marketing efforts. Just look at the client testimonials above.

However, to maximise the effectiveness of Name Share®, it's important to avoid these common mistakes:

Overcomplicating the process

Keep the referral process simple and user-friendly. Avoid asking customers for excessive information or creating unnecessary steps, as this can discourage participation.

Remember, with Name Share®, all you need is the customer's name — and sometimes their email in case there are multiple customers with the same name.

Neglecting the customer on their advocacy journey

Don’t overlook points of delight along the customer journey. We use referral data to inform an algorithm that determines each customer’s Propensity to Refer™ (PTR) — this predicts how likely they are to make a referral when offered the chance.

Failure to meet your customers when — and where — they are along their journey may lead to missed opportunities and a loss of potential customers. But with Name Share®, it's never been easier to capture WOM referrals.

The Future of Referral Marketing with Name Share®

As consumer expectations evolve and marketing channels become increasingly saturated, brands need smarter ways to stand out—and referral marketing is becoming a vital growth engine. But not just any referral strategy will do.

The future lies in solutions that blend personalisation, simplicity, and measurability, which is where this unique feature can help.

By moving beyond clunky codes and hard-to-track links, Name Share® transforms everyday word-of-mouth into something tangible, measurable, and highly effective. It brings referral marketing into the modern age, making it easier for customers to advocate—and easier for you to grow.

Whether you're a global brand or just beginning to scale, Name Share® empowers your customers to share you in the most natural possible way: by name.

How Your Business Can Start Using Name Share®

Getting started with Name Share® is simple—and the results speak for themselves. Here’s how to integrate it into your referral strategy:

1. Talk to Mention Me
   Schedule a free demo with our team to see how Name Share® fits into your customer journey.

2. Launch with a tailored strategy
   We’ll help you design custom referral flows that suit your brand’s audience and goals. Whether it’s e-commerce, finance, fashion, or insurance, our platform is built to flex around your needs.

3. Start capturing word-of-mouth at scale
   From the moment Name Share® goes live, you’ll begin converting more everyday conversations into measurable new customer acquisition—no extra effort required from your customers. Remember, Name Share® drives an additional 34% more referrals than other methods.

4. Optimise and grow
   Use our built-in A/B testing, analytics dashboard, and behavioural insights tools like Propensity to Refer® to improve every aspect of your referral program over time.

Referral has always been one of the most effective forms of marketing. Now, with Name Share®, it’s finally measurable, scalable, and built for sustainable growth.

Name Share® Roundup: a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing 

Name Share® has revolutionised the way brands can leverage word-of-mouth referral marketing. By personalising the referral experience, this powerful method builds trust, improves credibility, and boosts conversion rates. 

With successful implementation, you can tap into the vast potential of your existing customer base to drive profitable growth and establish long-lasting customer relationships, making it easier than ever for customers to refer their friends and for your business to capture those recommendations.

Ready for a new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing? Request a free demo today and start leveraging Name Share® to transform everyday conversations into sustainable growth.