Online word of mouth has the potential to be very important, especially when problems emerge, though it currently plays a relatively small role compared to offline word of mouth. Key steps include continually monitoring online conversations about the brand, researching how talkative the category and brand are, testing creative content for its word of mouth potential, and tracking the impact of word of mouth promotion efforts. While an emerging factor, personal contacts and recommendations remain more influential sources than online word of mouth for most brands and categories.