[Here's a recent post I did for the SmartBlog on Social Media. You can follow the blog here or subscribe to the newsletter here.]
You can be amazing at word of mouth. It’s not a difficult science, nor does it require a deep understanding of marketing — but nonetheless, not every company or every marketer is ready for it. If you’re reading these points below and nodding your head, you’ve got a real shot at earning some fantastic word of mouth.
What it takes:
You have a fantastic product or service. No gimmicks, giant budgets, or fancy campaigns can create sustainable word of mouth for average products created for average people.
You’re ready to commit. Word of mouth is a journey, not a shortcut. You’ve got to commit to earning the respect and recommendation of your fans.
You’re ready to release your grip. Word of mouth is something you encourage, support, and work daily to earn — but it’s not something you control. The world will take your story and share it as they want — not everyone is ready for that.
We had the first one in place. Then we committed to the second point. It was the third that we’ve struggled with for years, but now we’re there and it has paid off really well for us. Thanks for the post, Andy. You’re absolutely right.
Andy:
You keep hitting the nail on the head. I am quoting your book all the time!
I’ve used a couple of your tips with great success. ‘Do something remarkable’ and ‘Give people a way to talk about you’.
Also, I asked my Podcast listeners to write a review on iTunes (your tip to ‘ask for Word of Mouth’) and several wrote very kind reviews (blush).