Recently we were presenting brand strategy to a large client group and the topic turned to viral marketing. We stated that the goal of such techniques as social media was to generate word of mouth, which, as any marketer knows, can be the best kind of advertising. It seemed a given and I was ready to move on to the next point.
Suddenly, one listener, a young woman in the company’s e-marketing department, raised her hand.
“I don’t mean to be thick,” she said. “But exactly what do we mean when we say ‘word of mouth’?”
Her question sparked a discussion that lasted for a good 10 minutes, and the gist of that exchange still has me thinking three weeks later: At a time when we have more viral marketing techniques at our fingertips than ever before, what do we mean when we say “word of mouth?” In hindsight, it was an excellent question. Is all word of mouth good? Is it customers talking to customers or something more? Whose word, and whose mouth?
For the record, a textbook definition of word-of-mouth marketing is this: “Giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that conversation to take place.” That’s according to the Word of Mouth Marketing Assn. WOMMA continues: “It is the art and science of building active, mutually beneficial consumer-to-consumer and consumer-to-marketer communications.”
A simpler take comes courtesy of Andy Sernovitz, whose “Damn! I Wish I’d Thought of That!” marketing website is worth a look: “Word of mouth doesn’t come from some fancy campaign,” Sernovitz writes. “It comes from simple gestures that make people want to tell their friends about you.”
Everybody will say they want word-of-mouth marketing, but if you step back for a moment and take a closer look, you may want to be careful what you wish for. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Meetups, YouTube, user groups … you have many means at your disposal to gain exposure for your company, product or any message you care to unleash to the unwitting buying public. Ah, but therein lies the rub: It’s not just about your buying public anymore. The conversations that had once been confined to trade journals, trade shows, targeted e-mail inboxes and one-on-one sales calls are now part of the public discourse, and anyone can tune in, tune out, support or detract.
Many years ago, when I was handling media relations in the hospital industry, we had a saying: “When you open the door, it opens all the way.” If you want the free exposure public relations can bring, you have to risk the free brickbats, too. It’s not always going to be positive. That’s a hard message to carry to executive management, but it’s a message your CEO needs to hear, especially if he or she is clamoring for a social media presence.
I think it’s helpful to view today’s social media outlets as the new PR, for, as in the above example, a lot of the same rules apply: Control what goes out your door. Monitor the exchanges. Quickly correct any misperceptions; acknowledge just as quickly when you’ve been wrong. Be honest. Put your best truths out there, but don’t hide the not-so-good that the public is going to find out eventually, anyway. Don’t use silence as a response. Above all, make sure you have a message to begin with.
Because the fact is, your words from your mouth quickly become their words, from their mouths, or anyone’s words from anyone’s mouth. That’s what word of mouth is all about today. It can be a powerful way to create greater awareness and credibility. But it’s quickly out of your hands, so buyer beware.
What’s the right mix? Should your company have a YouTube channel? Will Twitter help drive traffic to your booth, as we’ve seen happen at recent trade shows? Where do you start? What’s the best way to proceed?
As with PR, the answer is to not go it alone. Find partners — for example, a PR agency, techie boutique or marcom agency (full disclosure: I work for a marcom agency) — that are using social media on behalf of their clients. It would be dubious to claim expertise in channels so new, but we’re all learning very quickly what works and what doesn’t. Did you know, for example, that Facebook allows you certain additional privileges once your company’s Facebook page has earned 1,000 fans?
The bottom line: If you’re getting ready to open the social media door in search of word-of-mouth exposure, be sure you’re really ready for an open house. Because like it or not, your house is going to stay open. The good news is that some are going to like what they see and hear and pass the word, and ultimately some of those people will buy from you. And isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?
{IMAGELEFT:http://www.massdevice.com/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/headshots/Kinslow_Rob_100x100.jpg}Rob Kinslow is vice president of strategic communications at Seidler Bernstein.