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12.19.07
How to Create Buzz with Word of Mouth Marketing
 By
Janet Meiners
"There is only one thing worse than being talked about, that is not being talked about"
-Oscar Wilde
Yesterday I heard Andy Sernovitz speak about word of mouth marketing – one of the most imaginative ways to attract customers. Just like we want to be friends with and around people we like, we buy from companies we like.
How do you practice Word of Mouth Marketing? Give people a reason to talk about you and make it easy for them to talk about you. After all, good marketing is starting and continuing a conversation.
How many blogs does Google maintain about their products? Over 90! They keep pinging us with messages about updates, features, innovative ways to use their products, new products, and partnerships. The media and bloggers keep writing about them, even small things that would otherwise be boring – like that one more city has been added to Street View.
Many times the companies I provide blogging services for want to stop at some point. When things are going well they wonder why they are spending the money. That's like saying to someone, our relationship is going so well I don't think we need to continue talking. If you stop talking you effectively end the relationship. Andy referred to your company blog as "your private pipeline to your best fans."
Here are some other points to help your Word of Mouth Marketing efforts:
Boring Costs More
My favorite message is that you pay more if you're boring. You pay for advertising; you pay people to write about you. If you're interesting and/or unique people will sell your product for you. They will talk if you make it easier for them to share information about you (blogs and email are made to share).
I read some more advice about this from the 37 Signals blog (via Seth Godin): "Provide something of value. The first step is recognizing that marketing is asking for someone else's time and attention. You need to provide something worthy…when you educate or entertain other people, they'll pay attention. If you bore them, they won't.
How to Come up with Good Ideas - Ask
I asked Andy after the presentation how you get the best ideas on Word of Mouth Marketing and he said – just ask. That means asking your customers: on blogs, suggestion boards, by email, on forums, etc. Ask what you can do to help them feel appreciated.
Accuquote asked their life insurance customers what they could do to keep them happy. Customers responded saying they wanted a phone call once a year to review their coverage. They felt like they were forgotten about and that they were paying for something that seemed like a black hole. The company assumed people wouldn't want to be contacted but they did. When the company responded they got another bonus – people often wanted to upgrade their policies. That's what they learned by asking.
Assign a Web Ambassador
To keep the conversation going you need to join in and participate. He suggested assigning someone in your company to be an ambassador. Have them search the web and respond to questions, introduce themselves, thank people for their comments, and address issues.
Bloggers especially love to write about a company and get a response from them (I still remember my Fat Wallet post and their immediate response and care. I followed up my criticism with a post about the goodwill Fatwallet created with me by responding). Since blogs show the most recent posts first the positive post will show up higher in the search engines and on the blog itself.
Hope to get your feedback on how you have benefited from Word of Mouth Marketing in your business. What are you talking about lately? What companies stand out to you?
Comments
About the Author:
Janet Meiners always wanted to be a reporter but prefers the immediacy of blogging. Known as Newspapergrl, she has freelanced for newspapers, City Search, and business magazines. She reports on internet marketing and online trends.
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