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Great word of mouth marketers are on the lookout for moments that are especially suited to starting conversations, because they know so much of word of mouth is about timing. A few opportunities you can do it:
1> For a holiday
2> For a launch
3> For a milestone
1> For a holiday
If you ever need a great excuse to test that fun, creative idea you’ve had to get fans talking, try aiming for a holiday. During Christmas, you can follow Jones Soda’s lead and release a new, oddball product. Or, if it’s a company-created holiday, you could try what Discovery did for Shark Week and promote all the stuff your fans are creating. And if it’s April Fools’, anything goes — like this tongue koozie from Molson Coors.
2> For a launch
Product launches have built-in word of mouth opportunities. You’ve got something new, exciting, and interesting to share — the trick is finding the right talkers and helping them pass it on. Try a beta release to eager testers (Microsoft is famous for this), an offer that lets them share it with a friend or two (this is how Gmail launched), or asking them to apply to get a first taste (lots of online communities start like this).
3> For a milestone
When you’ve accomplished something big, use that opportunity to let your fans get in on the celebration too. When LinkedIn broke 100 million users this year, they sent a special note to their first million members, thanking them for their support (and telling them what their exact join number was). How cool is that? It was a nice thank you to their long-time supporters and a great way to get these early adopters talking about LinkedIn.
[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.]
If your word of mouth program is focusing specifically on the friends of your fans, you might be missing a bunch of other potential conversations. Here are three examples worth considering:
1> Family
2> Business owners
3> Strangers
1> Family
Families are typically strong networks that frequently share word of mouth recommendations. Help fans welcome you into their families by targeting the times they all get together: holidays, vacations, and reunions. A favorite example of ours is Jones Soda’s annual “Holiday Pack” of gross flavors that has become a holiday tradition for lots of family get-togethers.
2> Business owners
Your fans shop, dine, and do business with lots of people you’d like to work with. Turn these fans into ambassadors with tools that make it easy for them to recommend you to these companies. Maker’s Mark Whiskey, for example, sent their fans simple stickers they could use to either thank restaurants for carrying Maker’s or to politely request they stock it for next time.
3> Strangers
You don’t have to recruit the most outgoing of fans to create conversations among them and strangers. Make it simple with tools that don’t require a lot of talking: Clothes, pins, and reusable gear all help them show support without speaking. A good test for this: What can you give to a customer that will start a conversation with the next person they see?
Some of the best word of mouth is the result of a willingness to do something goofy, funky, or just plain weird.
Selling a strange and unrelated product, celebrating a little-known holiday, or hosting a fun contest are a few examples of silly and inexpensive things that people love to tell their friends about.
How a word of mouth marketing supergenius does it:
How does Broccoli Casserole, Smoked Salmon Pate, or Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto — as soda flavors — sound?
Each year Jones Soda releases a goofy holiday pack around Christmas made up of some disgusting sounding (and, as the picture from a trial at one holiday party reveals, disgusting tasting) flavors.
Why? Because it’s a silly, goofy thing that everyone loves to talk about and try out with groups of friends.
Photo thanks: TravOC, found on Flickr.
