You never get a second chance to make a good first WOM impression
January 31st, 2008
Here’s the thing: When you create a customer outreach program, or some sort of sustainable, long-term word of mouth movement, you better make damn sure that you have all your “t”s crossed and “i”s dotted. Because if you try to do it on the fly, copy what others have done or pontificate on it for a bit and then rush into a hap-hazard program, you’re screwed. The thing about those folks that love you is that they KNOW you. They know what you’re capable of. And, in many cases, they know your brand better than you do. So if you screw it up early and often, then that sacred core that you were talking to will abandon you – especially if they feel they’re being marketed to.
I’m not saying you have to be perfect – no one is. But we all need to be transparent. It’s not like launching a new ad campaign. If your ads stink, no worries, because you’ll likely be launching a new one next quarter or next year. There are so many ads out there that even the great ones are easy to forget. But if you reach out on a one-on-one basis – even if you have the best intentions – and completely mess things up by assuming things or acting on preconceived notions, then prepare yourself for the backlash…because that core group that you were relying on isn’t going to forget (or forgive) any time soon.
There are some great examples of that very thing happening right now.
So be true to who you are. Make sure that your word of mouth movement is built into the very DNA of your brand identity and for goodness sakes, get to really know your customers before you start anything like a formal movement. What you’ll get in return will blow you away.
Other posts by Spike.
Jason Rakowski says:
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Jason Rakowski
January 31st, 2008 at 11:18 amSpike says:
Thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words, Jason. We appreciate the add and the comments.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pmDick Carlson says:
I’m thinking you may be talking about a certain large coffee company here in sunny Seattle, that just fired it’s CEO and brought in the founder to try to right the ship.
Or were you just speaking in general terms?
January 31st, 2008 at 8:08 pmDavid Niall Wilson says:
My company is perfect proof of concept here. We service logistics in the USCG and we started by building a staff of retired commanding officers and other key personnel who’d been doing the work we support for years, and who had the WOM connections that can lead to further connections. It brought us from a small startup to an Inc 500 company in only a few short years.
I’m the IT Director, so I get some credit for making it all work better…but those guys who “dot the i’s and cross the t’s” are the bread and butter of the reputation.
-DNW
February 1st, 2008 at 4:08 amAlexander Koerner says:
I agree stongly to that!
February 1st, 2008 at 4:39 amBecause of that we (www.lemon5.de) are doing two essential steps before we plan or even start a program / campaign for our clients:
‘wom-checkup’ (checking who, where and how people are talking about the brand, which expectations and needs customer share etc.) and ‘wom ready’ (developing brand, product, business processes etc. to prevent from unmet consumer expectations which lead to negative buzz and derogate advocating).