Say What? 5 Steps for Improving Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of mouth is often called the cheapest and most effective form of marketing. We find that our most successful clients are the ones who go out of their way to create situations ripe for word of mouth transfer. Here are 5 steps to improve your word of mouth, with examples from Asterisk Creative clients.
(PRWEB) November 11, 2004 -- Word of mouth is often called the cheapest and most effective form of marketing. We find that our most successful clients are the ones who go out of their way to create situations ripe for word of mouth transfer. Here are 5 steps to improve your company's word-of-mouth, complete with examples from recent clients:
Determine Where Word of Mouth occurs:
Prior to launching Modern Salons email marketing campaign, we spent some time talking with their customers and found out several interesting facts, like many eventually go out and recommend the brand to friends and family. This feedback was key in launching successful customer referral programs and offerings like the Best Friends Spa Day.
Just Fresh found that many of its frequent uptown customers were managers at local businesses. This information applied to the Just Fresh Gift Card- a prepaid gift certificate for breakfasts and lunches which became a popular office gift. Once you find out who talks about what and when, your plan to establish Word of Mouth can begin.
Develop cross-channel customer visibility:
Creating visibility across multiple channels is key in creating Word of Mouth. Capitalizing on popularity of makeover shows, we launched a feature called Monday Morning Makeovers on WBTV. This was broadcast weekly from Modern Salon and Spas new Hearst Tower location, featuring a before and after" performed by a Modern stylist. The segment was immediately followed by an email detailing the specifics of the makeover.
This steered viewers towards the site, and both gift certificate orders and site traffic spiked on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays while the feature ran.
Encourage cross-channel interaction:
Instead of just print or in-store advertising, we steered Modern Salon and Spa towards a creative offline-to-online promotion with WFNZ, 610 AM Radio. The winner of the promotion received a Spa Day for Two, and complimentary dinner, luxury transportation and overnight accommodations. By incorporating response mechanisms via the web and email, we created brand exposure and created site traffic while collecting a database of over 200 new male leads.
Refocus communications from the transaction to the relationship:
Cross-channel interaction also means that you can further integrate your brand into the consumers lifestyle. HRAmericas new company website focuses on the everyday activities of its target audience: human resources professionals and C-level company managers.
The websites content reflects the WOM-inspired relationship focus. For example, the HRAdvice" section creates a feedback mechanism answering site viewers questions and offering advice about current HR issues. Users enter their question and email address, thus initiating a dialogue between the brand and consumer, and helping HRAmerica qualify potential leads. Users are also directed to the HRAlert, a branded company newsletter offering industry-specific content for HR professionals.
Prospects and site visitors are rewarded for their patronage with direct access to the companys resources, arming them with resources to help in their everyday job functions and preparing them to share information about HRAmericas value propositions.
It's this kind of information that drives sales, loyalty and word of mouth. Once your brand or product is integrated into the targets everyday life, theyre bound to talk about it.
Avoid explicit solicitations and over-saturation:
You may be asking, What specific tools or communications do you give customers to facilitate Word of Mouth?" The answer lies in having a viable product or brand, and maximizing use of all touchpoints- print, web, email, etc. However, you cant overdo it, particularly with email marketing.
We steer our clients towards an average of just one, occasionally two emails a month, mainly highlighting new products, but with useful information included, too. Studies show that email saturation is a short-term strategy that may yield some immediate return, but does more harm than good in the long run, as people eventually become irritated and unsubscribe.
We utilize email to maintain a presence with our customer, creating a dialogue that focuses on educating the consumer and creating a tangible, two-way relationship.
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