I read a great article in this month’s edition of Fast Company. It was actually more of a Q & A thing with Andy Sernovitz, the CEO of Word of Mouth Marketing Association. When describing the writer and founder of WOMMA they simply say, “Sernovitz does buzz.”

The idea of being “Talk Worthy” is introduced and then the question is posed; how do I make that happen? Sernovitz simply answers that question by stating that you have to give people a reason to talk about you. In other words, do something unique…something that sticks out…something that separates you from the herd.

I often heard the old phrase, “perception is reality.” In the dog eat dog world of attention grabbing, sorry…marketing, consumers opinions drive the reputation of your business, product, service or organization. What they think or perceive becomes the reality they share with their friends, family or co-workers. Providing the same service as Joe down the street does nothing to entice or create a buzz about your business or product. To be “Talk Worthy”, you must do something unique.

Sernovitz provides three basic word of mouth tools that can be applied in any trade, environment, business or church. Let me stress the word “BASIC” because that is what makes this low cost high touch method effective. It doesn’t take a million dollar campaign to create a buzz.

The first tool has been around for thousands of years. It is simple. Cost nothing. But more than likely still the greatest method to create a buzz and create momentum. Ask people to tell a friend. By enlisting others as your sales force, you have people who have been personally impacted and are excited to share their first hand testimony. No commercial or slick add will ever carry the power of your neighbor or friend sharing how their life has changed because of your product, company or organization.

The second tool utilizes the same basic principal, yet combines modern technology. Create “Tell a Friend’ links on-line. This is simple and cost nothing, but provides an easy opportunity for someone to immediately share something they like on your web page with a friend. It doesn’t require them to open a special field or do any work. It simply appears and then you fire it immediately to a friend. It can easily become viral. This means, it randomly and quickly spreads throughout the cyberspace. How many times have you been on the receiving end of a viral e-mail? I could name a hundred of them. The point is simple…it spreads and spreads quickly.

Sernovitz’s last tool is technology driven as well. But just as his others tools, on the low end. He simply says to put everything in an e-mail. Do you know e-mail has become one of the most common forms of communication? I don’t have any numbers to back it up, but I have heard repeatedly over the past few years how people are resorting to electronic communication over verbal communication. E-mail, instant messaging and text messaging are becoming so popular concerts and television shows are utilizing these forms of communication to enhance the experience. I guess the old adage, why beat them when you can join them applies. When you can distribute information instantaneously to a group of friends or an entire database, why not do it? If the goal is to have more people talking, then this tool seems to be common sense.

I have learned of dozens different marketing philosophies. I am sure I have at least twenty books on my shelves right now. Sernovitz’s ideas are by no means revolutionary, but I think that is the appeal. Not every organization has the money to spend on high dollar campaigns. But every organization has a network of people connected to another network of people who are connected to another network of people, who can simply share what they love about that organization…thus, creating buzz.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS