In late 2007, PQ Media released a groundbreaking study that projected word of mouth marketing spending would increase from $981 million in 2006 to $3.7 billion in 2011. That’s an astounding 35.9 percent increase over a five-year period. Amidst a slowing world economy, this beacon of growth has generated its fair share of hope, hype, fear and doubt.
It’s left us with a question: what’s the “word” on word of mouth?
Before we can start talking about word of mouth, it’s important to start with some basic definitions and establish a common vocabulary. According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s WOM 101, word of mouth (WOM) is “the act of consumers providing information to other consumers.” Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is “Giving people a reason to talk about your products and services and making it easier for that conversation to take place.”
Note what that last definition left out. It didn’t say anything about blogs, Twitter, viral videos, street teams or other tactics. In fact, neither definition talked about tactics at all. That’s because WOMM is about doing whatever possible to make it easier for simple conversation about your products or services to take place.
This is a key understanding many marketers fail to grasp. It’s simple, but not simplistic. In fact, it’s an extraordinarily inspiring and powerful idea. If WOMM is about making it easier for conversation to take place, what is the best way to do that? Create experiences that inspire, surprise, delight and make people happy.
Here are five ways to generate word of mouth:
1. Take care of “the friend.” If you sell a physical product, include a generous book of coupons in the box for people to pass on to their friends and colleagues.
2. Listen … and really hear what’s being said. Call up five customers each week “just to catch up.” Listen to complaints and kudos first (and thank them for their honesty). Then ask if they’ll tell a friend or colleague.
3. Make people feel special. Start an exclusive e-mail newsletter just for clients and customers. Include tips and other non-sales content that people will want to forward.
4. Ask for testimonials. This is probably the simplest step, but the one most overlooked. Ask for testimonials from happy customers. Post them to your Web site and include it in all collateral.
5. Make sure your customer service is second to none. Return phone calls on the same day. Always be looking for improvements and ways to make your clients and customers’ lives easier. People are thrilled to talk about businesses they LOVE.
This is not rocket science and it’s not a secret. Make people happy and watch your reputation expand beyond quick buzz to sustainable WOM.
:: By Michael E. Rubin, Social Marketing Manager
Disclosure: The author used to work as an employee for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. This post is his own opinion.
Cartoon by Tom Fishburne
Great post. Defines the strength of social marketing. Mind that it can work in reverse, people LOVE to talk about brands they HATE
Hi Katie,
Thanks for reading and commenting. You’re totally right — people do love to talk about the brands they hate. But dissent is not always a bad thing.
Take consumer reviews as an example. Consumers understand that we live in an imperfect world and not every product/brand/service deserves a thumbs up. Research shows that people actually disbelieve perfect scores and question the authenticity of reviews if they are all positive. That means having a negative review actually improves the credibility of the word of mouth being generated.
Great comment. I’m always willing to discuss this more, so feel free to email me at michael.rubin@empowermm.com.
…Michael
Great post, Michael! Without simplifying what’s needed, these 5 things you list are the 5 simple things to do to generate, sustain, the most effective advertising for a brand: word-of-mouth from its customers.
Keep telling the story.
Thanks, Zane! That means a great deal coming from you. For those who may not be familiar with him, Zane Safrit is one of the most articulate voices out there when it comes to creating passionate employees and customers. I enthusiastically everyone to read his blog at http://zanesafrit.typepad.com.
It was Zane who taught me early on about how front-line employees can become a company’s best source of positive, amazing word of mouth. Before Tony Hsieh, there was Zane Safrit.
Customers can be a brand’s most powerful marketing force. That is the promise behind word of mouth marketing. Satisfied customer may help you promote your business through word-of-mouth.