Brand Communities, Word of Mouth & Buzz
…for lovers
A Presentation By: Sean Moffitt
President & Chief Evangelist
Agent Wildfire Inc.
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Social Media is like Young Love:
 it’s fresh, it’s new, it preoccupies
us and everybody wants it
occasionally clumsy, nonsensical
and not well understood
 amazing! sometimes turns into
lifelong companionship, exciting
experiences or great memories – a
joy to behold and experience
 ouch! oftentimes turns into a short
term crush or bad breakup
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Social Media – The Pretty Girl/Hunky Guy at the Ball
 it’s maturing/ growing
 it gets attention
 it’s new, well-dressed
 it’s connected
 we like to spend time
with it
 it provides plus, plus
benefits
 and it can be cheap
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Social media are the flowers, perfume and love
notes…
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Agent Wildfire tackles 3 types of real love
Buzz = Word of Mouth= Community =
Flirting Dating Moving In
Together
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

There’s a new currency on how to build business
“Something you Buy” “Something you Trust” “Something you Want”
“Something you’re “Something you
“Something you Prefer” Participate In”
Attracted To ”
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.
6

Business and marketing are lagging their customers
at the rules and tools of playing this new game
71% of marketers
are less/only
equally familiar with
the use of social
media tools than
their customers
Question: How familiar are you with the tools of social media? Source: com.motion Poll
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

On social media/word of mouth:
- 79% optimistic, 67% expect growth
- Delivering awareness/buzz/publicity is #1
- Biggest growth expected:
- Social Networks
- Social Media
- Mobile marketing
- Customer generated content
- Influencer marketing
- Brand communities/networks
Source: Agent Wildfire - 2009 Buzz Report
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

The 10 Love Principles of Good Social Media
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

i) FOCUS
– “Why are we
doing this/what are
we doing?”
Social/member need > Company need
Objectives/Strategy > Technology
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

2)
LANGUAGE
“do I like this/can I
identify with this?”
“It doesn’t matter what you say, if I
don’t like the way you’re saying it”
James Cherkoff, Collaborate
Marketing
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

3)
OUTREACH
“who’s involved/where
can I find you?”
• Some of these
people are not like
the others
• Be everywhere
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Outreach – Not Everyone is Equal
Visual
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Outreach - The Community Tentacles
Interesting- Social
ness Targeted
Conversation
Findability
Collaboration Content Engine
Visual
Community
Offline Portal
Aggregation
Direct Blog/RSS
Multimedia
Grassroots
Updates
Outreach Badging
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

4) INCENTIVES
&
MOTIVATIONS
“what’s in it for me?”
●
Explicit
●
Extrinsic
●
Intrinsic
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

5) RULES
“what can/can’t I do
here?”
• Experience
Facilitation
• Legal & Ethical
Concerns
• Employee Policies
and Training
• Ownership
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

6) TOOLS &
PLATFORM
“how and where
does it work?”
●
5 considerations
●
2 Cs/3 Ss
●
The 11 Cs
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Tools – The 11 Cs of Social Media/Community
- Communication/Content i.e.news,photo,video
- Competition i.e. rewards, contests, status
- Customization i.e. widgets, avatars, profiles
- Conversation i.e. blogs, forums, comment
- Connection i.e. messaging, integration, feeds
- Community i.e. networks, groups, teams
- Categorization i.e. tagging, levels, lists
- Collective Wisdom i.e. rating, ranking, voting
- Co-Creation/Collaboration i.e. CGM, ideas,
- Contextual Extensions i.e. mobile, offline, IM
- Culture building i.e. engagement, causes
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

7) COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
“who will lead the conversation?”
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

How to Avoid This…
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Community/Brand Evangelists - Tasks
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

8) WHY PEOPLE TALK
“think different, be different, make me an offer”
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

36 Reasons Why People Buzz
It’s because It’s because of It’s because of
of them what you provide who you are
#1 - Passionate about the #11 – Social Currency #26 - Innovative
topic #12 – Brand Experience(s) #27 –Remarkable/
#2 - Logo Lovers #13 – Fame Outrageous
#3 – Knowledge Seekers #14 – VIP Treatment/Customization #28 – The Best at What
#4 - Social Brokers You Do
#15 – Scarcity
#5 – Altruism #29 – Authentic
#16 – Influence
#6 – Involved/Committed #30 – Liberating/ Problem
#17 – Intimacy
Solving
#7 – Seeking Feedback #18 – Visibility
#31 - Edgy
#8 – Ego-driven #19 – Tight Boundaries
#32 – Trustworthy
#9 – Reciprocity Dealers #20 – Rallying Cause
#33 – Likable
#10 – Self-Expression #21 – Rewards
#34 – Easy to Talk About
#22 – Expertise
#35 – Ritualistic
#23 – Bite-Sized Participation
#36 - Sensory
#24 – Network Effects
#25 – Memes
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

9) METRICS, MEASUREMENT,
INSIGHTS & ROI
“what do we measure and look for?”
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Measurement by Community Objective
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

10) THE BIGGEST SINS
“Don’t be that person”
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Source: Agent Wildfire - 2009 Buzz Report
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Hospitality –
Running - Nike Plus Finance - PEMCO My Starbucks Idea
B-to-B
- Intuit Quickbooks Community Automotive - Ford Fiesta Method – People Against
Dirty
Tech – Dell Ideastorm eCommerce – eBay Fashion - Threadless
Powersellers
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

2 Types of Programs
Custom Build Influencers
Brand Community/ Campaign/Insights
WOM/Social Media Program Program
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.

Inquire: info (at) agentwildfire.com
Phone: 416-255-4500
URL: www.AgentWildfire.com
Join: www.TheInfluencers.ca
Blog: http://BuzzCanuck.typepad.com/
http://www.spreadslikewildfire.com/
Explore: The Buzz Report (e-newsletter)
Signup at www.AgentWildfire.com
Learn: Executive, WOM Seminars
© 2009 Agent Wildfire Inc.