Archive of tag "chocolate problem"

[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.]

Everyone loves chocolate, but when was the last time you ate some and ran to the phone to tell a friend? Great products face this same problem: Nobody talks when there’s nothing new to say — even when it’s something great. But you can overcome this. A few ideas to get you started:

1> Add something refreshing
2> Reignite old conversations
3> Never stop exploring

1> Add something refreshing

What can you add or remove from your product, service, or word of mouth topic to make it new again? Probably the best example of this is Google Maps. The original product was great, but then they followed it up with Satellite View (and we all looked at the top of our own house). Now? We’re still cruising Street View and telling friends about all of our strange discoveries.

2> Reignite old conversations

Your age and timelessness can be an asset that lends itself to restarting old conversations. Treat original fans like alumni, throw anniversary events, and look for opportunities to help these talkers connect with new customers. Sometimes the conversations aren’t dead — they just need your help seeing new life.

3> Never stop exploring

Avoid the chocolate problem by consistently testing new word of mouth topics. Not every idea will be a home run, but you’ll begin building a pipeline of buzzworthy ideas you can use whenever conversations begin to slow down. And remember, there’s no need to be shy about trying new topics — if it doesn’t work, by nature that means nobody found out about it.

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[Welcome back to the Word of Mouth Marketing 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.]

Great word of mouth is the result of hard work and the ability to overcome these common problems:

1> The matchbook problem
2> The chocolate problem
3> The shiny object problem

1> The matchbook problem

The matchbook problem forces word of mouth marketers to ask: “What will they leave with?” When smoking was more common, matchbooks were frequently used tools for talking — lots of restaurants, bars, and stores gave them away to fans who shared and held on to them for years. With the decline in smoking, try solving the matchbook problem with something else: a coupon, a sticker, a flyer, or a snack.

2> The chocolate problem

Chocolate is delicious, but when was the last time you ate some and immediately told your friends about it? The problem with chocolate is the same that many great products share: Once everyone knows how great it is, the buzz can begin to fade because there’s nothing new to say. Smart marketers overcome the chocolate problem by regularly testing out new topics to keep the conversation about their brand fresh.

3> The shiny object problem

With all the new tools available out there, a common problem word of mouth marketers face is determining which ones to focus on. An easy way to overcome this issue is to focus on your fans: If your fans aren’t there, you probably don’t need to be either. Remember, your job isn’t to pioneer new technologies — your job is to build relationships and support your fans.

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