"Good word of mouth marketing strategies involve finding ways to support satisfied customers and making it easier for them to talk to their friends."1. Encouraging communications:
* Developing tools to make telling a friend easier
* Creating forums and feedback tools
* Working with social networks
2. Giving people something to talk about:
* Information that can be shared or forwarded
* Advertising, stunts, and other publicity that encourages conversation
* Working with product development to build WOM elements into products
3. Creating communities and connecting people:
* Creating user groups and fan clubs
* Supporting independent groups that form around your product
* Hosting discussions and message boards about your products
* Enabling grassroots organization such as local meetings and other real-world participation
4. Working with influential communities:
* Finding people who are likely to respond to your message
* Identifying people who are able to influence your target customers
* Informing these individuals about what you do and encouraging them to spread the word
* Good-faith efforts to support issues and causes that are important to these individuals
5. Creating evangelist or advocate programs:
* Providing recognition and tools to active advocates
* Recruiting new advocates, teaching them about the benefits of your products, and encouraging them to talk about them
6. Researching and listening to customer feedback:
* Tracking online and offline conversations by supporters, detractors, and neutrals
* Listening and responding to both positive and negative conversations
7. Engaging in transparent conversation:
* Encouraging two-way conversations with interested parties
* Creating blogs and other tools to share information
* Participating openly on online blogs and discussions
8. Co-creation and information sharing:
* Involving consumers in marketing and creative (feedback on creative campaigns, allowing them to create commercials, etc.)
* Letting customers 'behind the curtain' to have first access to information and content
Well I hope that has given you a few positive idea's on how to use WOM, if you need any more or some help on how to implement them with you company or brand, please start a conversation with us and we will be glad to assist. My next post is more on the the Negative, basically a 'What not to do with WOM' and the ethics of WOM, however I will endevour in my usual way to make even this as positive as I can, see you next time, Regards….. Ashe, IT Bloke – London.
