Let’s start with the elephant in the room – marketing teams are heading into 2026 under more pressure than ever. Budgets are flat or, for the most part, shrinking. Media costs keep rising. And every channel feels saturated.
But here’s the good news. The smartest marketers aren’t trying to buy their way out of the problem. They’re finding growth where they’ve never fully looked before, in the networks created between people.
Because if there’s one thing that’s quietly redefining efficiency for 2026, it’s this:
Word-of-mouth isn’t a by product of good marketing, it can be the marketing strategy. With behavioural science data sources like Herdify, you can measure it, map it, and use it strategically.
This isn’t about “referrals” in the traditional sense and it’s not about social listening either. It’s about uncovering the real world influence patterns that make certain neighbourhoods, communities, streets, or networks far more likely to convert and far more likely to become high lifetime value (LTV) audiences.
Stop chasing quantity. Start finding the communities where quality already exists.
1. Why word-of-mouth matters more than ever (especially with tight budgets)
Every marketer knows word-of-mouth drives results.
“Advertising brings in customers, but word-of-mouth brings in the best customers.” – Jonah Berger
But few truly appreciate its scale.
Across all categories, including charity, sustainability, direct to consumer, subscription, 60-80% of final decisions are shaped by conversations, social cues, or the people immediately around us.
Yet almost no acquisition plans factor this into budget allocation. Why?
Because historically, word-of-mouth was unmeasurable. You couldn’t see it. You couldn’t model it. You couldn’t target it.
Well, you can now.
Behavioural-science platforms help reveal clusters of real world influence:
- Where conversations already happen
- Where a brand already has “social momentum”
- Where people are primed to adopt new behaviour
- Where trial spreads faster
- Where advocacy is more likely to take hold
This isn’t sentiment analysis. It isn’t social media scraping. It’s customer data modelling the way behaviours spread between people in the real world.
For teams trying to get more from less, this can be game changing.
The big shift: From targeting people to targeting influence
For years, the default model was:
- Identify the demographic segment
- Target them with media
- Optimise for conversion
But demographics don’t predict influence, and demographics don’t always predict LTV. Behaviours don’t happen in isolation; they form networks.
When you layer in influence insight, your acquisition approach becomes dramatically more efficient. You stop targeting individuals and start targeting ecosystems that will naturally amplify your message.
This community-first approach is the purest expression of quality over quantity:
- You target fewer people…
- But they’re in high-propensity environments
- They convert faster
- They retain longer
- They cost less to acquire
- And they bring others with them
3. Case in point: How Abel & Cole used community influence to drive higher LTV
Abel & Cole had a challenge familiar to almost everyone. Acquisition costs were rising, and new customers weren’t delivering the same quality of long-term value.
Instead of simply trying to reach more people, they focused on reaching the right people.
By using Herdify to detect clusters of natural word-of-mouth activity, the team discovered pockets of real world communities where the brand was already socially “warmed.”
The results speak for themselves:
- Door-drop response rates 168% higher in word-of-mouth clusters
- Higher average order value
- Fewer customers needed to reach profitable acquisition
- Higher retention
- Higher LVT
Acquiring more wasn’t the answer. Acquiring more from the right communities was.
This is the kind of leverage that raw media spend will never replicate.
4. How insight and word-of-mouth data leads you straight to LVT audiences
High LTV supporters or customers behave differently from low LTV ones.
They have deeper intent, stronger identity alignment, and a greater tendency to influence others.
And crucially, they often cluster together.
This is where combining first-party insight with behavioural science becomes powerful.
By building an LTV driven influence map, you’ll quickly see that your best audiences don’t spread out evenly across the country, they gather in influence clusters.
These hubs are your most valuable acquisition zones.
5. If you want better outcomes, improve the input, often
Who you target matters more than what you say. When you target influence clusters:
- Creative works harder
- Media spend goes further
- Conversion journeys shorten
- Churn reduces
- LTV climbs
- “Expensive channels” start to look more cost-efficient
Because when people are already primed through word-of-mouth, shared identity and local norms, you don’t need heavy persuasion. You’re nudging, not dragging them along.
This is the lesson from RSPCA too.
By focusing on supporter behaviours and values, rather than sheer reach, they unlocked more sustainable long-term growth. Efficiency wasn’t about spending less, it was about targeting smarter.
6. 2026’s Most efficient growth plan: Influence led acquisition
Here’s a practical framework you can apply right now:
STEP 1 — Identify your high-LTV supporters/customers
STEP 2 — Map influence clusters
STEP 3 — Prioritise these zones in your acquisition plan
STEP 4 — Tailor messaging to value driven behaviour
STEP 5 — Measure value, not volume
7. The 2026 mindset shift: Don’t spend more. Think more.
The path to growth isn’t broader reach. It’s deeper understanding.
When you combine:
- Data insight (who your most valuable audiences are)
- Behavioural insight (why they behave that way)
- Influence insight (how their behaviour spreads)
You get an acquisition strategy that delivers better ROI with less spend.
You don’t just bring in customers or supporters. You bring in communities.
And communities deliver LTV, advocacy, and sustainable growth that money alone can’t buy.
2026 belongs to the brands and charities who embrace one truth, the most powerful budget isn’t the one you spend, it’s the one you understand.
If you want to hear more about leveraging communities, watch our webinar.
