[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
A fantastic community can drive long-term word of mouth. And while simply building one doesn’t mean they’ll come, the more you can embrace a few natural human tendencies, the better odds you’ll have of creating something meaningful. What to remember when building yours:
1> People are good
2> People like to help
3> People want to connect
1> People are good
Great communities work because they’re organized around the idea that people are naturally good. You’ll recognize these communities because they allow more control to their members and they feature things like a fantastic welcome process that connects current members to new ones. Sure, there will always be a few idiots — but empowering the good guys means you can drown out the trolls and curmudgeons.
2> People like to help
People spread word of mouth and engage in communities because they like to help others. And while every community has its “lurkers,” they also have potential super-users — with the best communities designed to encourage these talkers. Clorox, for example, has seen significant increases in engagement since adding gaming mechanics to their community, all designed to acknowledge, reward, and support this natural behavior.
3> People want to connect
Humans are social creatures. We’re driven to build connections, to join groups, and to extend our networks of “people like us.” Communities created around specific topics help us find others who share our interests — and that’s where the conversations and word of mouth can really take off.
9/1 Cisco: How we structure social media (Private member call.) Learn more
9/14 Procter & Gamble: Swan dive… into Old Spice’s remarkable social media campaign (Private member call.) Learn more
9/21 Alberto Culver: Managing promotions on Facebook (Private member call.) Learn more
[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
A lot of word of mouth can happen immediately following the sale (during the honeymoon period), but you’ve got opportunities to create it long after the initial purchase, too. A few ways to do it:
1> Ask for a review
2> Earn their email
3> Follow-up
1> Ask for a review
Always, always ask for a review. Honest reviews from happy customers are timeless, long-term word of mouth assets. Capturing great reviews means you’ve got referrals you can use on your website, in your brochures, or on your wall long after the initial sale.
2> Earn their email
Earn the permission to contact your customers again by asking for their email. Offer them a newsletter, send them ongoing helpful tips, and keep them engaged. Earning the initial sale is just the beginning — earning their long-term word of mouth is where things can really take off.
3> Follow-up
A genuine follow-up is not only a great customer service gesture, but it can also lead to great word of mouth, too. Try following up your sales with a simple call, email, or hand-written note to check in on your customers. And when you do it, use the opportunity to let them know how much their word of mouth means to you.
9/1 Cisco: How we structure social media (Private member call.) Learn more
9/21 Alberto Culver: Managing promotions on Facebook (Private member call.) Learn more
