PENERAPAN WORD OF MOUTH DALAM KOMUNIKASI PEMASARAN AGROWISATA TANAMAN HIAS (Studi kasus pada petani tanaman hias di Desa Sidomulyo Kota Batu Jawa Timur)

This research aims to examine the application of the Word of Mouth (WOM) strategy in agrotourism marketing communications for ornamental plants in Sidomulyo Village, Batu City, East Java. Sidomulyo Village is known as a center for producing ornamental plants which plays an important role in the development of the agriculture-based tourism sector. However, there is a challenge in the form of a decline in sales of ornamental plants, which is partly caused by a lack of effective marketing strategies. The WOM strategy was chosen because of its ability to build consumer trust through more reliable personal recommendations. The research method used is a case study with a qualitative approach. Data was collected through observation, in-depth interviews with farmers, and analysis of related documents. The research results show that the implementation of WOM in Sidomulyo Village involves the main elements, namely talkers (loyal customers), topics (superior products), tools (creative promotion), taking part (active participation of farmers), and tracking (continuous evaluation). This strategy significantly influences consumer purchasing decisions and increases sales volumes. This research concludes that WOM is an effective strategy to improve the marketing of ornamental plant products in Sidomulyo Village, especially in the context of agrotourism development. It is hoped that these findings can contribute to agrotourism actors and local governments in formulating policies that support consumer experience-based marketing.