Word-of-Mouth Marketing Campaign a Cornerstone of Startup's Success
The emerging “word-of-mouth marketing” trend capitalizes on the fact that consumers trust peers more than any other group. The objective is to identify potential “evangelists” – consumers who could become passionate about the product and pass on that passion to others – and “gatekeepers” – those who were trusted by larger groups of consumers, and could spread a more objective but positive message to their groups. By targeting, sorting and cultivating, companies can find and engage these consumers via email and the Web, and hope they will spread the word online via blogs, chat rooms, etc. For Water Sensations, a major driver is the health aspect of water, and the critical role that Water Sensations can play in helping people to drink the recommended amount of water every day – without extra calories, carbs, sugar or artificial ingredients,” she adds. They enlisted the help of Judy Hochstadt, MD, a leading pediatric endocrinologist and diabetologist, and began implementing what they call their “extreme targeting” word-of-mouth marketing campaign.
SOUTHPORT, CT (PRWEB) July 12, 2006 -– When CEO Nina Riley started Water Sensations, Inc. in early 2005, she built the new company’s launch campaign on her own customized version of an innovative strategy called “word-of-mouth marketing.” Indeed, trusting consumers themselves to spread their own positive message about Water Sensations’ line of calorie-free, carb-free, clear liquid water flavor enhancers to others has become a cornerstone of the company’s resounding initial success; Water Sensations recorded $1M in first-year revenues, and Riley projects that number will quadruple by the end of 2006.
“For us, word-of-mouth marketing has been, and continues to be, a remarkable business-building tool,” Riley confirms. “While we’ve really customized it to fit our product, our target market and our plans for the future,” she says, “the goal is always the same: To create positive ‘buzz’ among the people you believe will benefit from your product and, ultimately, will make your company successful.”
What is “Word-of-Mouth Marketing?”
The emerging “word-of-mouth marketing” trend capitalizes on the fact that consumers trust peers more than any other group; in fact, this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer found that 68% of consumers surveyed trusted “someone like me” more than any other source. And the strategy is catching on quickly. In a December, 2005 national marketing survey, 43% of respondents planned to use “WOM” marketing in 2006 to promote their businesses – a greater percentage than traditional advertisements or celebrity spokespeople.
The word-of-mouth marketing drive began several years ago when a number of technology giants began testing the use of direct-to-consumer marketing communications via the Internet. The objective was to identify potential “evangelists” – consumers who could become passionate about the product and pass on that passion to others – and “gatekeepers” – those who were trusted by larger groups of consumers, and could spread a more objective but positive message to their groups. By targeting, sorting and cultivating, companies can find and engage these consumers via email and the Web, and hope they will spread the word online via blogs, chat rooms, etc.
According to Riley, it was imperative that she and her partner, Carolyn Frzop, refine the idea even further for Water Sensations. “When we took a hard but creative look at who our customers really were, we found that a one-size-fits-all mass campaign would not fit for our particular product,” Riley explains. “We believe that a major driver for us is the health aspect of water, and the critical role that Water Sensations can play in helping people to drink the recommended amount of water every day – without extra calories, carbs, sugar or artificial ingredients,” she adds. They enlisted the help of Judy Hochstadt, MD, a leading pediatric endocrinologist and diabetologist, and began implementing what they call their “extreme targeting” word-of-mouth marketing campaign.
Three Keys to Word-of-Mouth Marketing Success
For Riley and her team, designing a successful word-of-mouth marketing campaign involved three key steps, each intricately planned, fully researched, and personally executed via one-on-one contacts and conversations with their customers. “Within each step, small successes would lead to more planning, more efforts and more opportunities,” she notes. “The continued growth in, and attention paid to, each area is what allows us to project that we will quadruple our revenue this year alone,” Riley adds.
1. Find the evangelists and gatekeepers – By skillfully identifying each “extreme target” in her marketing plan, Riley – a former Fortune 500 marketing executive – compiled an innovative list of individual people with whom she wanted to forge a relationship. For example, Riley contacted Obesityhelp.com, an online support community that includes people recovering from and discovering life after bariatric surgery, and was introduced to Member Service Manager Amy Williams. Also, Riley and her team recently attended a Diabetes Expo held by the Connecticut chapter of the ADA to forge a connection with the association. Dr. Hochstadt notes, “Diabetics and bariatric surgery patients are two groups for whom water intake is a critical daily health requirement, but at the same time compliance can be a challenge for them.” Both groups have been “evangelized” by their “gatekeepers,” and Water Sensations is expanding similar efforts with other targets throughout the year – including an east-coast summer beach tour.
2. Reinforce the message with sampling – After consumers receive a positive message from a gatekeeper or evangelist, Riley believes it is imperative to reinforce it with a firsthand experience. “We sent over 500 samples to members of Obesityhelp.com when they requested them via email, and we gave out hundreds more at the Diabetes Expo,” she explains. “We’ve even sent samples to dieticians and nutritionists across the country for their patients,” Riley adds. This strategy can help create hundreds more “evangelists” and “gatekeepers” who will spread the positive message about the product, adding to the word-of-mouth marketing success.
3. Deliver every time – The most important aspect of word-of-mouth marketing, according to Riley, is to ensure that your company and your product can deliver the positive experience your gatekeepers and evangelists promise. “The overwhelming majority of blog, chatroom and face-to-face comments we’ve seen and received have been extremely positive,” Riley explains. “From the quality of the product to the responsiveness of the company, Water Sensations has been able to validate the expectations that the market itself has set for us – which creates more positive ‘buzz,’ and the cycle continues.”
About Water Sensations, Inc.
Water Sensations, Inc. markets the industry’s newest water enhancer, Water Sensations®, as the first clear liquid flavor enhancer for water. All natural and sweetened with sucralose, Water Sensations® is sugar free, calorie free and carbohydrate free. Water Sensations® is available in more than 3,500 stores in the U.S., including Target, Shop & Stop, The Food Emporium, IGA, Big Y, Krogers and more. Water Sensations, Inc. was founded in 2005 by Nina Riley, a marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience in classic marketing and brand management for companies including Philips Electronics, Unilever, Lipton, General Foods and General Mills. Ms. Riley has developed brand strategy, retail strategic alliances, advertising campaigns and joint ventures for high profile brands including Norelco Razors, Lipton Soups and Side Dishes, Wishbone Salad Dressings, Lawry’s Seasoning, Ragu Chicken Tonight Simmer Sauces, Post Cereal and more. She holds an MBA from Penn State and a BS from Ithaca College. More information on Ms. Riley and her company, Water Sensations, can be found online at www.WaterSensations.com.
###
|
