Word Of Mouth Marketing
What does W.O.M. mean?
Word-of-mouth including buzz, blog, viral, grassroots, cause influencers and social media marketing, as well as ambassador programs, work with consumer-generated media and more, and can be highly valued by product marketers. Because of the personal nature of the communications between individuals, it is believed that product information communicated in this way has an added layer of credibility. Research points to individuals being more inclined to believe WOM Marketing than more formal forms of promotion methods; the receiver of word-of-mouth referrals tends to believe that the communicator is speaking honestly and is unlikely to have an ulterior motive (i.e. they are not receiving an incentive for their referrals). -Wikipedia
Whew! That’s a mouthful.
Here’s what it means to me.
My sister calls me up and tells me I HAVE to buy her favorite new Ben & Jerry’s. Then at school drop-off my neighbor drops the hint that the local Chick-Fil-A is donating $1 to our school for each sandwich purchased! Later, while checking in with my Twitter peeps I see several friends talking about a new insulated lunch container from Aladdin.
I make a mental note to find the new Ben & Jerry’s when it goes on sale, the whole family heads over to Chick-Fil-A that very night, and yup… we have two shiny new Aladdin bowls shipped 3-5 days later. (My kids are delighted with leftovers for lunch!)
What about that funny part at the end of the Wiki definition?
‘…not receiving an incentive for their referrals.’
Because — you know my sister is totally going to steal a bite of my Chunky Monkey, my neighbor’s kiddo will benefit from the new computer bought with Chick-Fil-A donations, and I knew my Twitter pals had entered to win Aladdin products for playing along on the Twitter chat.
What’s my point?
Everyone has a personal incentive for sharing word of mouth suggestions.
When I finish a great book I simply MUST share it with everyone I know.
Is it because it makes me happy to share? NOPE.
It’s because I really, really want to exchange thoughts about the book with a friend! {Don’t we all have a selfish gene?}
I spoke with representatives from two different ‘Word of Mouth’ marketing companies. I asked each of them what is currently the most effective word of mouth between brands and bloggers?
And they each gave the same answer.
“Generating an authentic conversation around a brand.”
Word of Mouth companies are not really PR and not really marketing. Instead they’re goal is to generate the magic that is a one on one organic, authentic conversation. I participated first hand at a BlogHer10 event where NYC pedicab drivers dressed as Mario Men then schlepped us off to a Nintendo dinner! The bloggers got a free dinner and free treats afterwards.
What did the brand get out of it?
- A whole Slew of branded Flickr images.
- Enough Twitter Chatter about Nintendo Mario drivers for a Month!
- Happy Bloggers willing to write about the event just for fun.
Did the company get the word out? Yes.
Did the Bloggers receive something for sharing about the Mario Pedicabs? Yes.
Are the bloggers speaking honestly? Yes.
And that, my friends is Word of Mouth Marketing.
Got a spoon? I’ll share my Chunky Monkey with you!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Carissa Rogers, Carissa Rogers and Carissa Rogers, Matt Pegler. Matt Pegler said: RT @CarissaRogers: What does WOM mean? Here's what it means to me: http://bit.ly/9tk7w3 (grab a spoon and share some Chunky Monkey YO!) [...]
I’m a small mom-owned business, Tail Wags Helmet Covers http://www.tail-wags.com. I’d love to hire a company to help promote word-of-mouth information about my business but $ for marketing is tight. I’m already actively involved in social media on facebook, my blog site and twitter. Any other suggestions?
I love your helmet covers. I’m torn between the goldfish and the spider. Here are a few ideas for you: I would think getting just a few kids to wear the helmet covers at a local biking trail might get you some word of mouth. Or having ten folks walk in with them into a local coffee shop with cards. Teaming up with a local bike store/ toy store and/or elementary school for a biking parade to raise $ for charity? I would start local and find potential local partner (bike shop owner, ec.) to get some buzz going and post out the pictures/videos you get on social media. Hope that helps and good luck. If you want to more help, reach out via info@gigcoin.com Thanks for checking out GigCoin.
Me too!! And I already spoke for the goldfish!!
Wow what great ideas Julie… I love the walking into a coffee shop idea.. what about a local school carnival (mine is this week)… offer 5 of the kids covers to walk around in… The parents will be all over it!
You could totally get bloggers involved in that sort of thing too.. (raising hand!) it would be a great story to write about, and fun to put together. At the end of the event the person could simply give away the covers in some easy fashion…
What about at a PTO meeting, srsly I could go on and on…
Yep, the ideas are endless on the helmets…and I understand your frustration on the tight budget. Timing is everything and I know a whole lot of kids who ask Santa for a bicycle for Christmas, and they’ll need a new helmet to go with it, so work that angle, too. Best of luck to you and thanks for the info Carissa. Love this site.
Ooooh the new bike for birthday/holidays is the perfect angle.. do you work with any bike/helmet companies!??
And Hi Desiree!
[...] who tweet often through Twitter chats and/or live events are an asset to a company seeking word of mouth advertising because they know what is valuable to their community; they know what is more or less likely to get [...]
[...] G!gCoin » Word Of Mouth Marketing [...]
[...] G!gCoin » Word Of Mouth Marketing [...]
[...] G!gCoin » Word Of Mouth Marketing [...]
Hi. I like your website but i can tell it probably isn’t getting much traffic? If you want to help imrpove that check this website out, he has a short video that i really suggest you watch. Commission Crusher P.S this isn’t my website and i’m not spamming your blog, i don’t care if you delete this comment. I am only trying to help you improve your site.
Interesting take! Word of mouth has always been the biggest “builder” or destroyer of business. Isn’t this what social media is all about – the e-version of word of mouth? Without the political correctness and perceived agenda’s I think people are far more likely to believe someones post on FB than an advert in a newspaper. Also, interestingly, advertising on FB is very cost effective
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