[Sales & Marketing] Word of Mouth Marketing

The most powerful and influential form of marketing is word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM). It’s also the least expensive. The best part, however, is that in a recent study by Osterman Research, 86 percent of participants believe WOMM is most effective.

WHAT IS IT? Word of Mouth Marketing is defined as a structural marketing effort designed to stimulate individuals to talk about your product or service. In other words, it is giving people a reason to talk about you and making it easier for the conversation to take place. It refers to passing of information verbally, especially recommendations, and it is based on people’s desire to share experiences. WOMM represents a fundamental change in communication between consumers and marketers. It’s the only marketing based on genuinely passionate people.

Andy Sernovitz, in his book “Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking,” says there are four rules of Word of Mouth:

1. Be interesting. No one talks about boring companies, products, ads or services. In the pest control industry, there are hundreds of interesting things to talk about. It’s not unusual for a pest control professional to be approached at a networking event by someone wanting pest advice or just wanting to talk about bugs.

2. Make people happy. Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop wanted to create an experience for consumers when she built her company. She wanted it to be a happy place where people would enjoy the experience of building their own stuffed bears — and she succeeded. Few other companies have received the positive word of mouth that Clark’s company has generated in recent years.

3. Earn trust and respect. No one talks about a company unless they trust or like it. And to be a well-liked company, you should talk to your customers, honor their intelligence, fulfill their needs, be honest and BE NICE!

4. Make it easy. Determine what people can say about you in one sentence. Then share that by using it in your email signature, flyers, blog, T-shirts, advertising, invoices, etc. Kevin Kordek of A-Active Termite & Pest Control, Virginia Beach, Va., printed T-shirts with the company’s Web site address, www.123BugFree.com, and has created a buzz as people actually request the shirts and wear them — walking billboards for the company!

CREATE A BUZZ. Sernovitz says there are three reasons people talk about you:

1. They like you and your business. They feel some kind of connection to your company and they respect the work you do. If they’ve had a great experience with you and your service, they’ll want to tell their friends and relatives so they can also feel good! Generally, people like to help other people solve problems, so when they can refer you, they are helping to solve their friends’ problems. So Sernovitz advises, “Be likeable, make great stuff and provide great service.”

2. Talking makes them feel good. Making referrals and giving positive Word of Mouth makes people feel smart and important. And they feel good if they can help solve problems. So give your customers reasons to talk that make them feel smart and special.

3. They feel connected to a group. Some products have a following — as with Harley owners, Apple computer owners, sports fans, musicians, frequent flyers — because people love to talk about them with others who share the same interests (and also to those who don’t).

Like A-Active, give them shirts, hold special events and provide public recognition of them.

So now that you know what it is, the four rules, and why people talk about you, actually creating the buzz that comes from Word of Mouth Marketing takes a concerted effort. Let’s take a look at the five ways Sernovitz says can make it happen. Here’s how:

Find people who like to talk. These may be your customers, your networking groups (BNI, Chamber of Commerce, etc.), neighbors, doctors, bloggers and others. Choose those people who are your “fans” and who will enjoy telling a story that you provide. They may be influencers who are obsessed with staying one step ahead of their peers.

Give them a reason to talk. Provide them with a topic of conversation such as success stories, unusual jobs you’ve done in the past, and pests and damage you’ve seen on the job. People love stories so share your information in the form of a short story complete with humor and interesting facts

Help the message spread faster and farther. Make it as easy as possible for people to pass along your information. Postcards, stickers, T-shirts, a Web site, blogs, online social networks (such as Facebook and LinkedIn), and e-newsletters are all avenues to create buzz about your service.

Respond and talk. When people talk about you and send e-mails or call, answer them promptly. With the thousands of marketing messages out there, it’s easy to forget what requests were made, so a quick response will remind the person. Send thank-you notes — few people do this these days, so you’re sure to stand out and make the recipient feel connected.

Understand what people are saying. Word of Mouth is the best feedback you’ll ever receive — much better than expensive market research because it’s the genuine voice of the consumer. Engage consumers in open, unfiltered conversation. Value the information (good or bad) and use it to better your company.

A WORD OF CAUTION. Only honest marketers with confidence in their products dare engage in Word of Mouth Marketing — because it will backfire if the promise of your marketing message isn’t backed up by reality. Once you give people a voice, they will tell the true story of your company, good or bad.
The Word of Mouth Marketing Association advises that honesty matters. These days, you can’t hide bad service with expensive advertising. You can’t manipulate consumer opinion. The truth always comes out.

Consumers, they say, control the conversation. They have the tools and time to talk about you. Learn to keep them happy.

Word of mouth has more impact. Every study proves that real people are the best promoters and are more credible than paid advertising.
 
The author, a frequent editorial contributor to PCT magazine, is president of Compelling Communications, St. Louis.

Additional Resources

To learn more about the topic of Word of Mouth Marketing, check out the following educational resources:

• Andy Sernovitz’ book and Web site www.wordofmouthbook.com contains a wealth of information about Word of Mouth Marketing. To win a copy of the book, visit www.pctonline.com and click on “online extras.”
• The Word of Mouth Marketing Association is the official association leading the “word of mouth marketing” industry.

The Word of Mouth Marketing Manifesto

 1. Happy customers are your best advertising. Make people happy.
 2. Marketing is easy: Earn the respect and recommendation of your customers. They will do your marketing for you, for free.
 3. Ethics and good service come first.
 4. You are the user experience (not what your ads say you are).
 5. Negative word of mouth is an opportunity. Listen and learn.
 6. People are already talking. Your only option is to join the conversation.
 7. Be interesting or be invisible.
 8. If it’s not worth talking about, it’s not worth doing.
 9. Make the story of your company a good one.
 10. It is more fun to work at a company that people want to talk about.
 11. Use the power of word of mouth to make businesses treat people better.
 12. Honest marketing makes more money. — Andy Sernovitz