Our POV on social media, WOM and why people are talking. Word of mouth marketing is as old as marketing itself, but new tools like social media have expanded it in powerful ways. Marketers must understand audiences, engage in conversations online and offline, and spread compelling messages that motivate word of mouth. Listening to what people say about brands is now essential for any marketer to understand and influence conversations.

1. Our POV on social media,
WOM and why people are talking.
Contact:
Mark Bachmann, partner
216-292-4700
mbachmann@marcusthomasllc.com
marcusthomasllc.com
Highlands Business Park 24865 Emery Road Cleveland, Ohio 44128

2. WOrd-Of-MOuth Marketing.
It’s been hyped in the media as the savior of marketing – cheap,
powerful and available to everyone. In truth, Word of Mouth (WOM) is
as old as marketing itself. At its core, WOM is what people do naturally –
talk about what they love. And when they love a brand, they tell people
about it. WOM marketing is simply finding compelling ways to give
people a push, an extra reason to talk more about brands they love.
Strong WOM campaigns are created by marketers who understand the
total picture.
Marcus Thomas is frequently approached by companies
asking questions about the changing landscape for a strategic WOM campaign is more
WOM (that’s word of mouth, not word of mom). Here’s how
we’re thinking about it in the spring of 2008. than throwing out some street teams or
And because the landscape for WOM is changing rapidly,
our “expert” status is won daily by staying ahead. posting a cool video on Youtube.
Like all great marketing, WOM starts with the audience and its problems
or desires. It’s not about applying the latest tactic or fad to a brand or
product.
Even though WOM has been around for ages, marketers are uncovering
new tools and techniques to make word of mouth spread faster and
more widely. And new ideas come online each day. WOM marketing
can include all kinds of things – blogger relations, viral videos, photo
sharing, postings on Facebook or MySpace, Twittering, Widgets or
game sharing. A lot of WOM occurs in social media where consumers
build networks and interact with each other. In the last 18 months,
social media has exploded. It’s no longer just for kids and geeks;
it’s a bona fide societal trend that ignites WOM.

3. MY MOM is On faCeBOOk.
Whether it’s to From Millennials to Matures, hundreds of millions of consumers
have embraced some form of social media. MySpace alone has more
than 167 million users, and the fastest growing segment is people
reconnect with classmates over 35. Whether it’s to reconnect with classmates or colleagues, post
pictures of grandkids, blog about being a home chef, rate a seller on
Amazon.com or create an alter ego in Second Life, people are joining
or colleagues, the conversation. The conversation is affecting companies, positively
or negatively, and influencing consumers in more ways than we
post pictures of grandkids,
could have imagined.
blog about being
a home chef, rate a seller
Are you listening to the conversation? Do you know what the bloggers
on Amazon.com are saying about your brand? Do you know how many of your
customers are reading that blog and linking to it? If not, you’d better
or create an alter ego
find out because word of mouth impacts more people than advertising
does. For example, did you know that one blogger can reach more
people with one post than the weekend edition of USA Today? And
in Second Life, how about Twitter? Did you know that when the bridge collapsed in
Minnesota, people were talking about it on Twitter 35 minutes before
it hit the mainstream media newsrooms?
people are joining the The conversation spreads fast. A simple must-do for every single
conversation. marketer and PR professional is to at least listen to the conversation.
Listen to your consumers; engage with them, learn from them. Think
of it as a focus group – except it’s free and the input you get is more
accurate and reliable than anything you’d get in a traditional focus
group. And if they are saying something that’s negative, find out why
and turn them into brand evangelists. It can be done.

4. B lO g g i n g – i t ’ s t h e n e W M Ys PaC e .
Blogs can free people from the limited interaction and boredom
of “old school” message boards, forums and chat rooms. Platforms
such as Blogger enable the average person, with zero technical
experience, to launch a blog in less than 30 seconds. For many, the
most challenging task in starting a blog is what to name it.
There are more than 100 million blogs. The most popular blogging
groups include moms (the mom-o-sphere makes up the largest
percentage with 3 million posts on parenting and 32 million moms
reading up to five blogs a day – and that doesn’t include the moms
on iVillage); brides (77 percent of brides use the Internet for research
and to solicit others’ feedback); and the home chef/entertainer and
foodies (more than 500,000 posts are dedicated to food).
People blog about everything and Blogs give people an
anything, from parenting to pop culture, opportunity to express their passions,
from home decorating/remodeling opinions and preferences,
to stamp collecting. while at the same time providing
a way for people to connect
with each other.

5. ?
Did you know there are more bloggers than there are traditional Blogger outreach provides another outlet to effectively reach your
journalists? In fact, journalists are blogging. Why? Because blogs customers. Blogging also:
provide updated or expanded content, allow for opinion sharing,
provide answers to questions posed, suggest leads and new story
opportunities, and reach intended audiences faster. That’s not to say Provides third-party credibility (much like traditional media).
that you should stop seeking coverage by the New York Times, Real
Simple or the “Today Show.” Traditional media relations are still a
increases your search engine rankings (sites such as google and
valuable tool to generate awareness and build your brand. But often
technorati are constantly searching for fresh content, which is
before someone reads something in O, the Oprah Magazine or sees
why blogs appear before Web sites on topic searches).
it on the nightly news, they read it on their favorite blog.
Provides a human element to your brand.
Can be measured (who are the top bloggers in your field, who’s
reading/linking to them, what’s their authority?).
Face it; you can no longer control the conversation about your brand
or company. It’s time to let go. Why fight it? It’s actually a good thing
and a great time to be a marketer. The days of being interruptive
with your message are gone – today you must be invited in. Stop with
the press releases and perfecting every single CEO quote. Join the
conversation, or at the very least, listen to it. However, blogging is
not for the timid or the empty suits. Poorly executed blogs do more
harm than good, and blogging is certainly not the solution for every
marketing challenge.

6. t h e s i n g l e M O s t i M P O r ta n t t h i n g .
Whether it’s blogger outreach, enabling micro media or social groups
online, all of these elements are aspects of a larger trend.
Consumers are taking an active and
central role in communications,
W e P r aC t i C e W h at W e P r e aC h .
both with brands and among themselves.
remember, it’s all about Me. So, why listen to us? Simple. We know what we’re talking about.
We have been providing WOM solutions and social media expertise
to our clients long before it became the cool thing to do. We are an
Consumers see themselves as more in control of the media – both as
agency full of bloggers, Second Life junkies, Facebook addicts and
recipients and creators – and successful marketers will plug into that
Twitter gurus. By actively participating in the field, we have firsthand
phenomenon.
experience within new media, and therefore are able to offer better
solutions and ideas to our clients.
Think about what you could be doing. Who is talking about you, and
how else can you interact with your audience? You have probably put
Some of the clients we have helped connect with their consumers
some thought to this but need someone to guide you through this
and spread WOM include: NESTLÉ , MTD Products Inc (Troy-Bilt ,
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process. This is where we come in. As a full service integrated agency,
Yard-Man , Yard Machines and White Outdoor brands), Libbey,
® ® ®
we’re problem solvers who understand where WOM might fit into
Oster , Pfaltzgraff, Step2 , Tarkett , Alltel and the Convention and
® ®
®
your brand’s marketing strategy. We’re media neutral. In other
Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland.
words, we use the tactics that fit the message and the audience, not
the tactics we happen to sell.
Ready to hear more? Let’s continue this conversation in person.
We’re happy to share specific examples of our clients’ challenges and
how we helped to solve their problems. What’s your challenge?