NL Member News

People like talking to each other about stuff. Stuff they like, stuff they don't like, stuff that amazes them, stuff that makes their lives easier, stuff that irks them, stuff that leaves them feeling pleasantly surprised, etc. The desire to communicate our experiences with one another is one of the foundations of civilization, and it's from that natural, human impulse to communicate that word of mouth (WOM) springs.

WOM, by definition, is the natural culmination of those days our ancestors spent huddled around the fire sharing knowledge and insights -- and smart businesses are using it to their advantage.

Putting the "Marketing" in Your WOM

WOM marketing takes the concept of WOM one step further. The "marketing" in "word of mouth marketing" involves amplifying consumers' propensity to spread the word about what you do, turning up the volume both by giving them the kind of "wow" experiences that make them eager to talk about you to the next person they meet and by giving the tools they need -- for instance, a Tell-a-Friend button in an email newsletter -- to make it easy for them to spread the word about you.

Long before it was recognized as a marketing discipline, savvy business people have been using WOM as a way to leverage their happy customers' social networks. The emergence of online social networking, blogging, and other community-based online initiatives has super-charged the WOM potential for many products and services.
For instance, imagine a particularly WOM-filled conversation between two people. One mentions that she's had a toothache; the other quips, "You should try my dentist. Not only will they take care of that tooth, but they'll give you a foot massage and a paraffin wax dip and there are soothing fountains in each room -- you can't beat it!" And so she does. While the WOM outcome is obviously positive, the entire WOM scenario is over in an instant and virtually untraceable.

That same conversation online not only has the potential to live forever -- or at least until someone deletes it -- but can be seen by more than one person, which impacts its reach. Not only that, but online WOM is significantly more measurable and able to anwer questions such as: How many visits has this page received? Has the post had an impact on sales over time? Are other bloggers talking about and linking back to this blog post? Etc.

While offline WOM should not be ignored -- it accounts for 90% of all WOM activity, according to research from WOMMA member company Keller Fay Group -- it is also important to get a thorough grasp of the online ways that people are using to communicate, make recommendations, voice their opinions, and give their preferences.

Glossary of WOM Marketing and Social Media Tools

Online Social Networks: (Ex: MySpace, Facebook) Online communities where people create webs of interconnectivity based on their social acquaintances. While MySpace and Facebook are probably the most inclusive, thousands of smaller, niche networks created around a wide array of categories -- brands, culture, music preferences, age, location, and areas of interest, etc. -- also exist. Companies that participate in these networks should be careful to heed the community rules and should fully disclose their relationship to their company at all times.

Blogs: (Ex. http://www.insidearm.com/go/blogs/Ginsberg) Business blogs are a great way to create a more personable online presence, whether you choose to blog about your industry, top issues of the day, your personal perspectives, or any variety of topics. Blogs are also very SEO friendly and make it easier for potential customers to find you, and they create an easily accessible platform for two-way dialogue between you and your customers.

Microblogs: (Ex: Twitter) Provide lightening-fast posts that have all of the search benefits of a blog (microblogs archive and show up on search engines), as well as highly connected, community aspects (users can choose who they "follow" and receive instantaneous updates from every one in their network). Microblogs are good for both the push and pull ends of information -- a great way to stay abreast of relevant news, as well as a great way to get the word out about what you're doing.

Aggregation sites: (Ex: FriendFeed) Allow you to keep tabs on your contacts across a variety of platforms, all via one site. Once you're juggling several social media sites and networks, these aggregation sites provide a simple way to combat social network fatigue.

RSS: (Really Simple Syndication) If you find yourself visiting tons of blogs every day, an RSS feed is a must. It allows you to "subscribe" to multiple blogs using their RSS, and then read them all from one site (a feed reader). If you have a blog, you need to make sure to provide your readers a way to subscribe to your RSS, as well, because the easier it is for your customers and potential customers to consume your information, the more likely it is that they will.

Online video: Lots of companies are creating online videos these days and posting them to YouTube in hopes that they will spread like virtual wildfire, but it takes more to create a true viral video -- one that people are eager to pass along to their friends -- than a digital camera and a YouTube account. Done right, however, online video can be a great way to reach your target audience.

Ratings and Reviews: (Ex: Amazon.com) Many online retailers have discovered the power of customer ratings and reviews -- and niche sites have sprung up all over the web, letting users review everything from restaurants to dog walkers. Ratings and reviews provide a great way to listen in. Knowing what consumers have to say about you -- both good and bad -- is important to understanding what you can do to improve customer sentiment, as well as provide transparent responses.

A Quick Word About Ethics

Understanding WOM ethics is an important element of taking part in the WOM marketing world. The most important rule of thumb -- and we at WOMMA stress it constantly -- is to be completely, 100% honest. Always disclose your identity, your relationship to your company, and only post your honest opinions.

A major pillar in the mission of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association is the ethical execution of WOM marketing. We advise that any company looking to dip a toe into the WOM and social media markets brush up on their WOM ethics first. To take a closer look at WOMMA's Ethics Code, visit: www.womma.org/ethics

Bio

Shannon Stairhime is the Editorial and Content Manager at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), where she acts as information switchboard and writer extraordinaire. Shannon thinks WOM marketing at its core (i.e. if you do good things, people will talk about it) is the most intuitive of all marketing disciplines -- and also the most complex. She is smitten with all things Web 2.0 -- her only regret being that there are only so many hours in each day to Twitter, Tumblr, Blog, and peruse the next shiny web toy.

Prior to joining WOMMA in 2004, Shannon was an Associate Editor at RFL Communications and a staff writer for Blur Magazine. She has written for iMedia, eComXpo, Big Idea Magazine, Dinero Magazine, The Outside World, Blur Zine-Media, The Chicago Dispatcher, Four Magazine, The South Loop Review, Inkstains, apt Magazine

About The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)

WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. Our more than 385 corporate members are committed to building a prosperous word of mouth marketing profession based on best practices, measurable ROI, and ethical leadership. We hope that you will join us if you share these values.

We are:
- Fantastic brands and marketers who know that happy customers are our most powerful advocates.
- Innovative agencies who understand how to empower and amplify consumers' voices.
- The good guys, committed to protecting consumers with strong ethical guidelines.

Learn more about us: http://www.womma.org/about/