What Exactly Does A Word-of-Mouth Campaign Look Like?

Word of mouth campaigns take many different forms. They look quite different for different types of products, services and ideas. I will describe generally the various elements that typically go into a word-of-mouth campaign. Many of these are closely related and blend seamlessly into each other. The specifics are a matter of considerable creativity.

This is not by any means a complete list, but is intended to give you a sense of what we mean when we talk about word-of-mouth campaigns.

When you look at the following list of elements, you may be tempted to say that you are already doing many of these things. Please keep in mind that we are talking here about a campaign: an organized set of coordinated activities designed to reach a particular objective. Companies typically don’t do the following things enough, and they do them in dribs and drabs. Creating a word of mouth explosion cannot be done piecemeal. You need to make a major commitment and reorganize your marketing accordingly.

Positioning the product for a word-of-mouth campaign.

Figuring out how to describe the product in a way that is easily repeatable, compelling and persuasive. It must encapsulate the unique value proposition.

Stimulating and collecting the right testimonials/endorsements at all levels: customer, influencers, experts.

Teaching employees how to get testimonials and working them into existing materials.

Tuning every conventional marketing program (advertising, direct mail, sales materials, etc.) to convey and stimulate word of mouth.

Incorporating word of mouth into conventional marketing media. Quotes, testimonials, endorsements, ratings, etc. Using that media to stimulate further word of mouth.

Asking for word of mouth

At all points of communication, finding ways to ask for — and motivate — recommendations.

“Tell a friend” programs

Motivating people to bring in new customers through reward programs. Customer referral programs.

Supporting present customers in spreading the word.

Providing support (materials, events, phone lines, fax back services, web pages) for customers who want to get their friends to try the product.

Market seeding programs

Placing product with key influencers in the marketplace and getting them to recommend the product/service to their sphere of influence.

Canned word of mouth — videos, audio, etc.

Delivering your customer recommendations through brochures, audio, video, the Web, etc.

Customer networking programs

Bringing your customers and prospects into a formal or informal network to spread the word.

Affiliation programs.

Formally joining your customers and your company together in a mutually beneficial way, giving you an opportunity to influence word of mouth, and customers an opportunity to spread it among themselves.

Discussion groups

Designing discussion groups via the web, teleconferences, etc.

Preferred customer programs

Rewarding present customers to make them feel like “insiders.”

Advisory groups, user groups, etc.

Bringing customers into advisory groups and user groups to stimulate each others’ enthusiasm.

Internet programs to amplify word of mouth.

Using the internet, particularly e-mail and list groups to regularly communicate with customers and get them to circulate information to their sphere of influence.

Outrageous story program

If you want them to talk, give them something to talk about — every day. Create stories that support the main value proposition and will be repeated. Use public relations (and other means) to spread the stories

Articles, third party endorsements.

An organized program to place favorable articles and get actual or implied endorsements.

Usage in places that will imply word of mouth endorsement.

Placing the product in places and used by people that will imply endorsement.

Creating and implementing events that will Foster word of mouth.

Seminars parties, conferences, swap meets. Anything that will bring customers together.

Training programs

Using training programs to spread word of mouth.

Service programs

Organized program to use service calls to stimulate word of mouth.

Employee word-of-mouth programs

Organized program to get your employees to engage in word of mouth.

Networking

Actively using existing networks (including your own ad hoc networks) to stimulate referrals.

Customer satisfaction programs

Using customer satisfaction programs to stimulate word of mouth. Then, using the results to further stimulate word of mouth.

Rating services programs

Actively (and ethically) influencing outside rating services to rate your product higher.