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Help turn customers and casual fans into spokespeople by adding these key elements to your word of mouth program:
1> Exclusive content
2> Status and recognition
3> Helpful tools
1> Exclusive content
If everyone knows about something, there’s not much value in sharing it — even for a hardcore fan. It’s the exclusive, all-new, never-before-seen, super-nerdy details that fuel conversations. Not everyone will fully appreciate the specs and geeky news, but the enthusiasm it generates among your core talkers can be hard for everyone else to ignore.
2> Status and recognition
Give status and recognition to your biggest fans to both initiate conversations and promote existing ones. In some programs, it’s the status that generates the talking (like Microsoft’s MVP program), while in others, it’s the talking that earns the status (like say, White Castle’s Hall of Fame). Either way, it all adds up to a lot of conversations about you.
3> Helpful tools
Tools that create conversations help turn a casual customer into an evangelist. We’re not talking about ads and brochures (at least in the traditional sense). We’re talking about amazing welcome kits for new customers, demos fans can share with friends, and simple hand-outs that make it easy to introduce you.
[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 testimonials are fantastic sales tools that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to collect. Three ideas on how to do it:
1> Get them on camera
2> Get them on the phone
3> Get them online
1> Get them on camera
Whether in your store or at your events, be ready to interview anyone who wants to offer some praise. You don’t need Hollywood-quality footage — most modern digital cameras take great video. Just keep the clips short and unscripted and you’ll find yourself quickly collecting authentic testimonials you can use in a bunch of different ways.
2> Get them on the phone
An old-fashioned phone call is a great way to reach out to your customers and collect a few testimonials. Start by making sure they’re happy with their service and if they start saying nice things, ask if it’d be OK to use it as a testimonial. Not only will you build relationships with existing customers, but you’ll also pick up a few lines of praise you can use to earn new ones.
3> Get them online
One of the fastest ways to gather testimonials is by asking online. If you’ve earned friends on Twitter or Facebook, try sending them a quick, polite request for a short testimonial. Done right, you’ll instantly collect a fresh batch of loving blurbs from a wide range of fans.
[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.]
A large fan base is nice, but it’s when you get them to take action that it really pays off. Here’s how:
1> Be specific
2> Make it easy
3> Acknowledge them
1> Be specific
Get fans moving by giving them something specific to act on. Rather than asking for general support, ask for specific things like reviews, volunteers, testimonials, feedback on a new product, donation amounts — whatever. By keeping your requests specific, your fans will know exactly how you need help.
2> Make it easy
People are busy — and while they would love to help you, they don’t always have the time to join in complicated campaigns on your behalf. Make things simpler by removing unnecessary steps, giving them links to where they need to go, and outlining specific instructions on whatever you’re asking. The easier you can make the process, the more likely fans are to participate.
3> Acknowledge them
When a fan shows their support for you, make a big deal about it. Thank them, acknowledge them in front of other fans, and highlight the results of their efforts. Sooner or later, you’re going to be asking your fans to take action again — make it easier next time by showing everyone how much fan support means to your business.
In this issue, Kira Wampler, Intuit’s Word of Mouth and Social Marketing Leader, Small Business Division, offers her three tips on creating WOM by connecting customers:
1> Focus on what your customers care about
2> Find ways to get everyone involved
3> Forget the marketing speech
4> Listen to Kira’s live Supergenius preview
You can see Kira — as well as 30 other brilliant word of mouth marketers — live at GasPedal’s Word of Mouth Supergenius on December 16 in Chicago. This “How to be Great at Word of Mouth Marketing” Conference features 12 how-to classes, 12 real-world case studies, and 6 brilliant authors.
1> Focus on what your customers care about
It’s not about going after the latest social media fad; it’s about building a program around a subject important to both you and your customers. For Intuit, they’ve built communities around the challenges small businesses face. Once you’ve found the common issues that connect your customers, you can start to look at the tools and tactics you’ll need to bring these folks together.
2> Find ways to get everyone involved
Look for opportunities to get multiple teams and departments working toward common goals. One of the biggest lessons Kira says they’ve learned at Intuit is that integrated campaigns everyone can get behind are far more successful than standalone initiatives. When you make it easy for employees throughout the company to get involved, they take a huge sense of ownership in it — especially when it’s about how to help customers be more successful.
3> Forget the marketing speech
Focus on letting the voice of the customer come through. Kira recommends creating an environment where the topic of conversation is about the things your customers care about, their concerns, and their ideas. If you do it right, your customers will be talking about themselves — and, ultimately, your campaign.
4> Listen to Kira’s live Supergenius preview
Hear Kira expand on her three big ideas on creating WOM by connecting customers, as well as reveal her word of mouth superpower here:
Check out our Facebook page to see all our interviews.
This is GasPedal's blog about all things word of mouth marketing. We cover everything from the best word of mouth case studies to the latest research, focusing on the practical ideas you can use to get your fans talking about you.
The Social Media Business Council, formerly the Blog Council, is a brands-only community that helps large organizations build successful social media programs.
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