Don't shy away from consumer criticism
Brand owners should also consider online WOM campaigns for countering negative perceptions about their products, or the brand on a whole. For example, when a major internet service provider engaged consumers online about a new product launch, customers took the opportunity to voice concerns about customer service and performance issues surrounding the previous version of the product. The proactive outreach campaign by the ISP gave consumers a forum to air their grievances, receive answers and, most importantly, be assured that the new version of the product was worth a trial.
Is your industry is a good fit for WOM?
The entertainment and consumer electronics industries are natural fits for WOM, and with heightened consumer interest in do-it-yourself projects and cooking, other categories like food, beverages, packaged goods and home products are also great candidates.
However, one industry that requires special consideration is children's products. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates marketing to kids through The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), so there are a lot of outside considerations when using word of mouth in the kiddie sector. But influencing their parents is a tactic that has proven to be successful for some companies. Kabillion, the first multi-platform kids network for broadband and video on demand, as an example, used WOM marketing in order to drive new sign-ups by reaching out to parents through targeted blogs and social networks to educate them about the new service and why their kids would like it.
Keep the lines of communication open
While many marketing efforts are one-way conversations from the brand or agency to the consumer, word-of-mouth marketing should be a two-way engagement, offering market intelligence and insider status in return for valuable consumer insight. In fact, according to new research from BlogHer and Compass Partners, 35 percent of women aged 18 to 75 participate in the blogosphere weekly. The study also reported that, of online women, 53 percent read blogs, 37 percent post comments and 28 percent write or update blogs.
A good WOM marketer will understand this and ask the right questions while engaging with consumers, in addition to having the methods in place to record and quantify this data. It is this valuable market intelligence that is gathered throughout the course of a word-of-mouth campaign and distinguishes it from other, more traditional marketing tactics, such as buzz marketing.
Maximize effective tactics and messaging by changing your campaign
Real-time consumer feedback enables brand owners to revise messaging or strategy at any point during a campaign -- a great way to constantly make your campaign more intuitive and successful.
For example, one of our clients encouraged consumers to pre-order a soon-to-be-launched teeth whitening product. While the tactic that did not result in significant sales for that product immediately, the conversation did bring the process of teeth whitening top of mind -- and drove consumers directly into stores to buy a competing product that was currently available. If the brand owner had already purchased print or TV advertising, it would have been impossible to change the direction of the message, but with the feedback from online WOM, the client was able to make a strategic revision, pause the existing efforts and relaunch the campaign once its the product became available.
Conclusion
Consumers have very powerful voices, and they might just be telling you something critical to the success of your brand. So knowing your audience, understanding where they reside online and engaging with them in an honest and compelling manner will not only help to humanize your brand, but will get consumers talking about it both online and off.
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Lou Cuming is the COO of DEI Worldwide, and a founding member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.