Rohit Bhargava is hosting a fantastic collection of essay to promote his book "Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back"
(This is a proven word of mouth technique. Invite people to contribute to a group project and they will talk about their contribution.)
Here’s my essay:
Personality mean giving people a reason to talk
“Good products and services are like brushing your teeth. You’re expected to do it every day. You don’t get extra credit.” — paraphrasing Geoffrey Moore
We don’t talk about companies that we like. We don’t talk about companies that deliver quality service, day in and day out, for a reasonable price. We expect that. You’ve never called a friend and said “Did you know that Ritz hotels are really nice?”
You need to give people a reason to talk about you. Word of mouth starts with the topic of conversation. (It doesn’t start with a MySpace page or a viral video). Bland companies never give us a reason to talk, so we don’t talk about them.
There are seven emotions that cause someone to make a recommendation:
To me, this is why I think companies who blog should do so with a personal, down-to-earth tone. Don’t try to sound all professional and safe…say what you mean and mean what you say. Have some personality and come across as alive in your writing.