Consider the viral power of YouTube: In mere months, the platform revolutionized the way people all over the world create, spread and consume news - however news is defined these days.
Companies are certainly jumping on the bandwagon to maximize their audience reach and impact, but the rules of consumer engagement have changed. That being said, if you comb through YouTube-like
medias' short but storied histories to return to their roots, you'll find that these systems emulate a communication channel that's been around forever: word of mouth (WOM).
WOM marketing is certainly not a forgotten art, but it has been overshadowed by its digital counterparts in recent years; that need not be the case. The proper communications strategy can
implement WOM, and in turn make it dovetail with other channels. Here are a few key approaches to consider:
Know what WOM entails. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) offers the following list of communications that fall under the WOM purview: Buzz Marketing, Viral Marketing,
Community Marketing, Grassroots Marketing, Evangelist Marketing, Product Seeding, Influencer Marketing, Cause Marketing, Conversation Creation, Brand Blogging and Referral Programs. But, like
everything else, WOM has evolved with the times. Paul Rand, president and CEO of Zocalo Group, highlights a key distinction: "WOM is going from being a marketing tactic to being a discipline.
It's like going into WOM 2.0. At first the purpose was creating buzz. Buzz is a product's 15 minutes of fame," he says. "Sustainable WOM is about identifying, engaging and sustaining evangelists that
drive WOM over time. That comes down to truly understanding the key influencers and thought leaders in a certain space."
PR I.S.O. WOM. Take the digital communications phenomenon as a guide. How does it work so effectively? It's all about targeting the right audience with the right message in the right tone;
then, it's about making it accessible. The beauty of online campaigns/initiatives - be they delivered through blog posts, online videos or message boards - is their availability around the globe and
around the clock. So, when considering a WOM strategy, don't assume that the words have to come straight from someone's mouth; these days, social networks are just as good as talking. So create a
well-thought-out post that will reach the desired audience, and let nature take its course.
But, Rand warns, "You want to take advantage of as many viral online components as possible, but also recognize that it must be accessible in an offline world as well. It really comes down to
engaging people at events and making it easy to understand what you want others to share, and helping them find the language to do so."
Create a community. The burst of digital platforms being made available allows community-building to continue, whether the initiative began verbally, visually or digitally. Build message
boards, user groups and discussion forums to allow consumers to circle back with you and comment. The links to these sites can be included in any marketing materials, and communications executives
can use them to gather feedback and maintain conversations with key constituent groups. This also allows the communications team to measure efforts in terms of how many people their messages resonate
with, and what percentages are driven to engage in further conversation.
Make sure the message is foolproof. Consider the game "telephone:" Often played by children, the point was to demonstrate the way messages morph and get distorted as they are passed from
one person to another. For better or worse, this theme holds just as true among adults. To sidestep potential message mix-ups, make every WOM initiative as clear, concise and transparent as possible.
WOM is not the vehicle of choice for crisis management, for example. It's best suited for a campaign that has a very specific audience and has good news to spread. "It has to be something
remarkable," Rand says. "Then you have to provide easy tools for people to forward and share - share-with-a-friend buttons in e-mail messages and pass-along coupons, for example. Viral components can
be incredibly worthwhile."
Play by the rules. Just because WOM marketing has a grassroots, "Wild West" feel to it doesn't mean there aren't ethical standards. WOMMA has established a formal Code of Contact, which is
boiled down in its "Honesty ROI:"
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Honesty of Relationship: You say who you're speaking for.
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Honesty of Opinion: You say what you believe.
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Honesty of Identity: You never obscure your identity.
CONTACT:
Paul Rand, [email protected]