The most powerful advert for a business might not be an advert at all.

Sometimes, it is one person telling another person about their experience with a product.

I remember when I first heard about OPay. It was not from an advert. Someone recommended it to me. Then my friends started talking about it, and before you know it, almost everyone around me was using it.

Why did we try it?

Because we trusted the people recommending it to us.

That is the power of word of mouth. It works because there is already some level of trust behind the recommendation.

Of course, OPay has invested heavily in advertising and other forms of marketing. But word of mouth also played a huge role in making the product familiar to many Nigerians.

Now imagine the other side of that.

When the false message about OPay going on an indefinite break from September 1 started circulating, I remember friends sending it to me.

Have you seen this?

Look at what they are saying.

Now imagine that same message moving through the markets where people use OPay every day.

Have you seen this? They said OPay is going on a break. What will happen to our money?

One person tells another. Another tells someone else. And suddenly, people who trusted the business are questioning whether they should continue using it.

The same word of mouth that can make someone try your product can also make them question whether they should keep using it.

That is something every business owner should pay attention to.

We often think of marketing as the things we deliberately put in front of people: the adverts, campaigns, content and promotions.

But people are also talking about your business when you are not the one doing the talking.

You may control your advertising. You cannot control the conversation.

And I think that is part of why I like what OPay is doing with OPay Is Okay. The campaign brings the conversation back to trust, which feels especially relevant after what just happened.

Because trust is what made that recommendation powerful in the first place.

And in business, trust is everything.