Would you like WOM with that?
May 30th, 2006
Having very recently left my post at a very large brand, I understand how daunting the dive into word of mouth marketing can be. The more research you do, the more you understand how powerfully WOM influences purchase decisions and that it is imperative to get a handle on what is being said about you and to join the conversation. The challenge? Doing that takes time, money, and an ability to influence product development and the end user experience – things that few marketers at medium and large business have.
Knowing this, I can greatly relate to the desire to “Buy TV? Buy Radio? Buy Billboards? Now, buy word of mouth” as a recent flyer we received from Bzzagent suggests is possible. I believe there is a terminology issue. I do not doubt the ability of networks of talkers to talk about products and juice sales in 6 week bursts, I just wouldn’t refer to that as word of mouth, but buzz. What we refer to as WOM has to be earned. It is earned through creating connections with your customers that extend beyond the exchange of goods for cash. It has the power to last and grow by empowering customers – all of them, not just the talkers. The folks who already have a need for and use your products are the ones whom you invite to take ownership in the brand. They will still be talking about you and to you long after the next new shiny widget has come and gone.
Harnessing the power of WOM is hard. It requires involvement from the company itself - no one can create the dialogue and intimacy with customers for you. It requires commitment as those connections can’t be turned off once made. It requires you to listen with the same intensity with which you speak.
The excellent news is that the payouts are proportionate to the time investment. Just ask Mark Cuban, Meg Whitman, and Steve Jobs.
Other posts by Virginia.
Spike Jones says:
You knew I couldn’t keep my mouth shut on this one, didn’t ya? Let me say this loud and clear: Word of Mouth is NOT a media channel. Plain and simple. You cannot buy and sell it. You cannot “place” it like you can for TV buys, radio buys or print ad buys. It’s a completely different animal.
May 31st, 2006 at 5:33 amVeeDub says:
Check out John Moore’s post on this same topic on the Brand Autopsy blog http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/2006/05/bzzagent_is_red.html
June 2nd, 2006 at 6:04 amSteve Hershberger says:
Word of mouth isn’t a media channel. It is customer empowerment in which the brand is aligned and in tune with the customer’s wants, needs, desires and responds to them.
When this happens, word of mouth or a repeating of a value proposition or a recommendation occurs.
Anything less is buzz or as defined as ‘buy WOM’, serial buzz.
I’ll be posting a more detailed (yeah, you know me) response on my blog. But remember this brand marketers and agencies as it relates to WOM, advocacy and even buzz.
YOUR customers own YOUR brand. YOU as the brand are merely stewards of it.
Steve Hershberger
June 5th, 2006 at 7:00 amComBlu