Don’t yell, converse – One thing that I learned about WOM is that it is inherently different from traditional mass media marketing. Don’t yell, converse means that social media is about building relationships and dialogs with customers. Make them feel important and valued and not just one of a million people you are trying to reach with the same message. Talk about what you find interesting and talk to those who share those interests. You’re in business because you’re passionate about what you do (hopefully) and there will be people who are passionate about that too. Find them and talk to them. Create real relationships.
Think first, not last – WOM should not be an afterthought in an organizations marketing plan, it should be at the forefront. The fact is, WOM can be targeted much more precisely and gain a much higher ROI (in the usually business sense) than other marketing techniques. While those other techniques are still important, WOM can generate much more committed customers and they will spread that commitment. Likewise, Look to social media to find out what’s not working. There’s often a great deal of information about what in your marketing plan is working or not if you open your ears and listen to what others are saying. And remember, join the conversation!
Use the tools – Don’t limit your organization to one or two WOM vehicles. Some vehicles might seem like more viable solutions than others, but almost any organization can use all the various social media tools in one way or another. Non profits, car companies, restaurants and software makers can all use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. Obviously, they will approach them in different ways, but there is such a broad and varied user base for these platforms that, if you are smart about the message, know who your target is and engage with them when they engage with your business, you can reach the right people to spread that message much farther and faster than traditional marketing.
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