If you happen to live in a small town then you know that word of mouth tends to be the most powerful marketing source available for any local business. Whether its a plumbing business or a local bakery word of mouth marketing for the small business is more valuable than gold. This differs tremendously from larger cities where large marketing campaigns have drowned out the little guy and most small business owners have to resort to extreme measures just to keep their businesses afloat. These methods might include, but are certainly not limited to, having employees dress up in animal suits and parade down major boulevards waving promotional signs.  So how does the consumer make an informed decision on small town or local contractors when direct word-of-mouth references are unavailable? Well with the popularity of the internet consumers now have access to a huge network of "word-of-mouth" resources in the form of company reviews. There are lots of websites that offer independent business reviews for companies that operate in both big cities and small towns. Whether you are looking for Smyrna plumbers or Gilroy caterers, the internet probably has several resources that can help you evaluate your local service provider. The nice part about reading reviews is that you can often contact the reviewer to verify their experience and ensure that the information you are reading is valid and true. This is nice because you also have the opportunity to interact with neighbors and build an even strong sense of community. Not only can this get you the advice you were seeking but you could also make some new friends in the process.So as communities get larger and people live busier and busier lives, the power of word of mouth advertising is still as strong as ever. Even in the age of the internet the best marketing power still resides with the individual consumer.