THE RISE AND RISE OF WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING

North American marketing and PR colleagues are reporting on an explosion of word of mouth strategies in the USA.

It seems that although people are swimming in a sea of technology, they still value the personal touch when they want information. And the more important the issue is, the more they seek comfort, reassurance or direction in the opinions of others.

No surprises for communicators. We know people today are swamped with mass media, advertising and all types of marketing. So how can we cut through the clutter to win their support and provide information that is important for themselves, their families and their communities?

The US experience suggests that we need to harness the ancient power of people to people conversations.

Technology now gives us the power to propel private conversations into a mass medium. American marketers are using on-line forums, listservs, chat rooms, email, podcasts and blogs to introduce new ideas to people and underpin word of mouth strategies like:

• Buzz Marketing
  Using high-profile entertainment or news to get people to talk about your brand.
• Viral Marketing
  Creating entertaining or informative messages that are designed to be passed in an exponential fashion, often electronically or by email.
• Community Marketing
  Forming or supporting niche communities that share common interests in a brand or an issue (such as user groups, fan clubs, and discussion forums); providing tools, content, and information to support those communities.
• Grassroots Marketing
  Organizing and motivating volunteers to engage in personal or local outreach.
• Evangelist Marketing
  Cultivating evangelists, advocates, or volunteers who are encouraged to take a leadership role in actively spreading the word on your behalf.
• Product Seeding
  Placing the right product into the right hands at the right time, providing information or samples to influential individuals.
• Influencer Marketing
  Identifying key communities and opinion leaders who are likely to talk about products and have the ability to influence the opinions of others.
• Cause Marketing
  Supporting social causes as a way to earn respect and support from people who feel strongly about an issue.
• Conversation Creation
  Interesting or fun advertising, emails, catch phrases, entertainment, or promotions designed to start word of mouth activity.
• Brand Blogging
  Creating blogs and participating in the blogosphere, in the spirit of open, transparent communications; sharing information of value that the blog community may talk about.
• Referral Programs
  Creating self administered tools that allow satisfied customers to refer their friends.

We lead increasingly busy lives. As more things compete for our time and dollars word of mouth strategies are likely to move from the borders of marketing and PR right into the heartland - particularly as organizations see the business value of connecting more closely with their clients or communities.

So what does this mean for you?

Begin your next communications campaign by exploring how a word of mouth approach can get people excited about what you do.

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