Heard at WOMBAT 2
June 26th, 2006
There were a lot of great lessons last week at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s Basic Training 2 in San Francisco. And while you can read the full coverage here, I’d like to touch on two short, important soundbytes that I heard while I was there.
“We save our best ideas for our paying clients.” Julian Aldridge, AMMO Marketing
This is a quote that I heard in a rapid-fire, ten-person panel that gave the audience 43 applicable WOM ideas in 45 minutes. I don’t know what it has to do with word of mouth marketing specifically, but the idea is exactly what we believe as a company: no spec. When a potential client asks you for spec, they are asking you to give away the only thing you have to sell. And that’s just bad business. The good news is that this tide is beginning to turn.
“Advocates can create buzz. Buzz can’t create advocates.” Kathy Baughman, ComBlu
Kathy sat on a panel that talked about turning customers into advocates. And this one basic piece of advice was a great takeaway. Just a simple reminder that all the advertising and PR stunts in the world can’t create loyal, loud customers. So why are you continuing to try?
Thanks to Andy and the WOMMA staff for yet another great gathering of kindred spirits.
Other posts by Spike.
johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) says:
So Spike … of the 43 WOM ideas shared during the WOMMA Panel, which were WORTHY and which were WORTHLESS?
June 26th, 2006 at 6:36 amSpike says:
You’re killin’ me, good Doctor. Let me get through my workday and you’ll have your answer.
June 26th, 2006 at 8:47 amjohnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) says:
Allow me to rephrase my question … of the 43 WOM ideas shared, which were WORTHIEST and WORTHLESSIEST? (That should be more manageable to answer.)
June 26th, 2006 at 10:25 amSpike says:
You asked for it:
1. If you train your sales force in the ways of evangelism, they become better recruiters.
WORTHY, but not exactly a “go home and implement” tool.
2. Make it easy for people to find you and tell people about you.
WORTHY
3. Create a market advisory council.
WORTHY
4. Use interesting stories to bring your WOM topics to life.
WORTHLESS – your identity should already do that.
5. Encourage your brand champions to tell two friends about you, not just one.
WORTHLESS – Give them something to talk about
6. Do something unexpected and generous for your customers — send a free product (include an extra for them to pass along to a friend) just for being a valued customer. WORTHY, but you don’t have to bribe your customers, just surprise and delight
7. Identify influentials using online social networking sites. WORTHY, depending on your views of “influentials”
8. Reach the influencers that don’t raise their hand. WORTHLESS
9. Create experiences around your products and services. WORTHY
10. Be an evangelist for your evangelists (Send them framed versions of case studies you’ve done with them, blog about them, show them off in your newsletters.) WORTHY
11. Use a memorable collectible as a dinner table centerpiece with the winner’s sticker on the bottom of their chair. WORTHLESS – this is just a sad gimmick, not a WOM tool
12. Give your audience business card holders packed with ‘tell-someone’ referral cards.
WORTHLESS – another bad giveaway gimmick
13. It’s not just marketing: embed WOM into your sales culture. WORTHY, but not takehome actionable.
14. Use humor or “did you know” language to help consumers feel like they have something funny or unique to add to the conversation. WORTHLESS
15. Ask your customers to talk about you. WORTHLESS – this is WOM creationism!
16. Hide it. Discovery is a trigger for WOM, so make your tool or marketing message hard to find and you’llcreate something people will want to talk about and share. WORTHY
17. Leverage provocative content to make everyday product talk-worthy. Borderline WORTHY
18. Ensure you get the best ideas by engaging your WOM agency early in a paid consulting role.
WORTHLESS as a WOM tool, but great advice nonetheless!
19. Make friends with some bloggers (they don’t even have to be famous). WORTHY – but I would add, “and don’t ask them for favors.“
20. Give your evangelists something to talk about. WORTHY
21. Give out your marketing collateral in something noticeable that gets people talking.
WORTHLESS – another gimmick
22. Create a story and let consumers share their best stories of interactions with your product or service. – WORTHY
23. Create a VIP customer pool and use it. WORTHY
24. Make it easy for people to easily spread the word about you (Create a button for their blog or web site, a card or CD they can pass along to a friend, or build a ‘tell a friend’ option.) WORTHY
25. Release exclusive content (”insider information”) and let your avid customers react and interact with it. WORTHY
26. Create clever 30-second virals and post to your home page. Borderline WORTHY – in this day and age of viral saturation, it’s gonna have to be either really great or really relevant to be effective.
27. Take a cue from gossip rags such as InFocus or US Weekly and use surveys to add interesting facts to your WOM stories. WORTHLESS – this is just a tiny add-on.
28. Let your customers create — provide ways to make it easy for consumers to customize and show off their creativity. WORTHY
29. Use ‘free or low-charge’ release services to announce new products and services like Soflow, 24-7 PR, PR Leap, PR Free. WORTHLESS – this is cheep PR, not WOM.
30. Let your evangelists know you’re listening. (Comment on their blogs, invite them to webinars or to your office for a VIP Tour and to meet the product or service teams, schedule meet-ups in cities and invite your customers to attend). – WORTHY
31. Measure results, not actions. – WORTHY – a lot of WOMM is touchy-feely, which is important, but we’re also here to drive sales.
32. Put the right tools in the hands of your most influential consumers to help them tell your story. – WORTHY
33. Bring your most loyal customers on the inside by involving them in your product development or marketing initiatives. WORTHY
34. Poll your sales force for good closing stories, then edit and distribute to use as testimonials. WORTHLESS as far as WOM goes, but a good idea.
35. Create a customer community of your most loyal customers. - WORTHY
36. If you’re going to give something away for free, focus on quality merchandise that influencers value and seed it in the places they naturally frequent. Barely WORTHY
37. Set the table for WOM to occur by giving your customers tools to initiate it. – WORTHY
38. Join in the conversation (and start one if needed). – WORTHY
39. Tap into people’s sociability to propel WOM. – WORTHY, but how?
40. Identify “portable conversations” to give your advocates something to talk about. – WORTHLESS
41. Use the Buddy System and partner with your evangelists to work together on bigger projects. – WORTHY, but I think this same idea is listed above?!?
42. Partner with evangelists and create opportunities for them to sing your praises - WORTHY
43. Print referral cards which customers can give to their friends. Borderline WORTHLESS
June 26th, 2006 at 11:53 ampaul says:
Spike-o-rama:
On board with all these WOM ‘worthy’ and ‘worthless’ distinctions, and it’s interesting to note the short-term vs. long term thinkin’ here — and wanted to co-ponder why you think:
> that despite the relationship marketing and CRM waves, most companies tend to think in terms of single SALE or PROJECT rather than RELATIONSHIP?
> that if a given company knows it needs to allocate x% to marketing and communications for promoting its products and services to the marketplace, why so few really believe that longer term relationships with agencies (like brainsonfire, for instance) can deliver more and better ideas with fewer hiccups and better results?
Is it ADD? Or what?
June 26th, 2006 at 2:05 pmSpike says:
Paul-a-thon,
The majority of companies are scared out of their freakin’ minds to make a LTR with their customers. It’s all about wham-bam-give-me-your-money. And it has been for so long, than it’s a hard cycle to break. It’s like a drug they’re addicted to. But now days, the drug has lost its effectiveness and is not working any more. There’s no more money fix. And that, my dear friend, is why they are starting to pay attention to all this WOM hub-bub. As they well should!
June 26th, 2006 at 3:28 pmSteve Hershberger says:
Spike-
Based on Reichheld’s point of view, isn’t WOM just a byproduct of either consumer interest (buzz) or consumer engagement (advocacy)….each representing two different places on the same loyalty continuum? Either way, don’t you have the chance to Wow the customer and create more loyalty? Doesn’t this ‘process’ cut out all the trite and or ‘fuzzy’ BS that people have thrown against the wall hoping something will stick?
A healthcare client recently pointed out that good customer advocacy/WOM/loyalty programs are like six sigma for marketing. Personally, I took that as a positive.
The recent WOMMA gathering showcased both the best and still-working-on-it. Either way, a forum is still a forum where good ideas and smart people can be heard.
Great seeing you guys in San Fran!
June 27th, 2006 at 8:48 amSteve Hershberger says:
BTW, I agree with your breakout of the speed-round. Problem was, some of the newbie brand people were struggling just to capture what they heard. Andy should blast your worthy/worthless list to every attendee, it would simplify their day.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:53 ampaul says:
yes, yes, yes, Spik-o - when in doubt, study the science of addiction….I guess it’s also the natural result of so many tons of stock Viagra dumped on an unsuspecting (and apparently limp) marketplace.
Maybe them Mormons might have a shot at religio-politico-economy matters (think Customer Polygamy) after all, after the Christian Rights blow their…uh…chance for long term marketing marriages that are actually fun, engaging, not tortuous, sexy.
It’d be great to start a new marketing group or CRM wave in this….er, vein. Something like: SPAWN. Customer Fertilty. OVULATION. SPERM (Single Person Engaged Relationship Marketing). Embry-YES. Zygote.
On a related note: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=43774
Vegans Less Likely To Have Twins Than Women Who Eat Animal Products. Well, I reckon that means marketers need the beef.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:56 amSpike says:
Steve - good points all around.
Paul - Quit it. You’re scaring me.
June 27th, 2006 at 9:49 amPiero says:
There’s nothing wrong with band geeks.
June 27th, 2006 at 6:02 pmSpike says:
And God knows I’ll always be a band geek at heart.
June 27th, 2006 at 6:09 pmStephen Clark says:
WOMMA didn’t do too badly it seems…two thirds (29/43) deemed “Worthy”.
From my perspective, the majority of the items noted above are really the methods to deliver the breakthrough ideas, and I think that distinction needs to be made.
June 28th, 2006 at 5:17 amWord-of-Mouth Marketing Ideas. Some Worthy. Some Worthless. « Dimano Marketing says:
[...] March 15th, 2007 Word-of-Mouth Marketing Ideas. Some Worthy. Some Worthless. Originally Posted: Brains on Fire by Spike Jones [...]
March 15th, 2007 at 4:29 am